From The BBC:Japan is ready to launch its new space freighter from the Tanegashima base in the south of the country.
The 16.5-tonne unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) will haul cargo to the International Space station (ISS).
Its success is vitally important to the station project, which is set to lose the servicing capability of the US shuttle fleet next year.
When the orbiters retire, re-supply will be in the hands of a number of robotic vessels - the HTV included.
The logistics demands of a fully crewed, fully functional ISS will require all of the freighters to play their part.
Lift-off for the HTV is timed for 0201 local time on Friday (1701 GMT, Thursday).
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