HTV-X

HTV-X, also called the New Space Station Resupply Vehicle, is a Japanese cargo spacecraft of JAXA that succeeds the H-II Transfer Vehicle for resupplying the International Space Station, and it was first launched on 26 October 2025. It is manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with contributions from Mitsubishi Electric, while IHI Aerospace provides the propulsion system and the American company Sierra Nevada Corporation provides the Common Berthing Mechanism and hatch kit. It has three modules, an Unpressurized Cargo Support System that carries unpressurised cargo on the outside, a Service Module that can operate independently, and a Pressurised Module of 39.6 cubic metres identical in design to that of the original HTV. It is eight metres long, flies on the H3 rocket, and omits a main engine, using a ring of reaction control thrusters instead. The aim was to halve costs while keeping or extending the capability of the original vehicle; the proposal dates from 2015, and delays to the H3 rocket pushed the first launch to 2025.