Fresh from the Dragon Crew-12 Mission Overview News Conference: Unberthing and departure planned for 1st week of March.
The next cargo craft to end its station mission is slated to be uninstalled from Harmony’s Earth-facing port with the Canadarm2 robotic arm in early March. JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HTV-X1 will then be released by the Canadarm2 a day later into Earth orbit where it will complete several weeks of scientific experiments. HTV-X1 launched on Oct. 25, 2025, from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan and was captured with Canadarm2 and installed to Harmony Oct. 29.Flight Engineers Chris Williams, Jessica Meir, and Jack Hathaway, from NASA, and Sophie Adenot from ESA (European Space Agency) began packing the HTV-X1 on Friday with disposable cargo since JAXA’s spacecraft will reenter Earth’s atmosphere above the south Pacific Ocean for a destructive, but safe reentry. However, HTV-X1 will stay in orbit for a few more weeks after its release to test new antenna and solar cell technologies and deploy CubeSats for independent missions.
After delivering about 12,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, hardware, and other cargo to the International Space Station for NASA and its international partners, JAXA’s uncrewed HTV‑X1 cargo spacecraft is scheduled to depart Friday, March 6.Watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. EST on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel in advance of the spacecraft’s release at 12 p.m. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.On Thursday, March 5, flight controllers will use the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach HTV-X1 from the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port on the station and maneuver it into position for release. NASA will not provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s detachment from the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronaut Chris Williams will monitor HTV-X1’s systems during undocking and departure.The HTV-X1 spacecraft will remain in orbit for more than three months acting as a scientific platform for JAXA’s experiments. Following the deorbit command, the spacecraft will dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up harmlessly.
Williams also trained for the departure of JAXA’s HTV-X1 cargo craft that launched to the space station in October from Tanegashima Space Center. He reviewed the procedures he will use when the Canadarm2 robotic arm releases the HTV-X1 into Earth orbit and when monitoring the Japanese cargo craft’s departure. Meir, after her spacesuit work, continued packing the HTV-X1 with trash and discarded gear.
Mission managers have given the go for a Japanese cargo spacecraft to depart the International Space Station at the end of the week. Meanwhile, the Expedition 74 crew is reviewing upcoming spacewalk procedures, packing a second cargo spacecraft for its departure, studying artificial intelligence tools, and conducting Earth observations.JAXA’s HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft is packed with disposable cargo and ready to complete its mission at the orbital outpost in two steps. First, at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, the Canadarm2 robotic arm will uninstall the HTV-X1 from the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port and place it in a temporary parking position. Japanese mission controllers will then conduct sensor demonstration tests on the HTV-X1 while it is still in the grips of the Canadarm2.
