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[b]HTV-7 'Kounotori-7' departs space station[/b] Expedition 57 commander Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agencya, with back-up support from NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, used the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to release Japan's HTV-7 cargo spacecraft at 10:51 a.m. CST on Wednesday (Nov. 7). At the time of release, the space station was flying 254 miles (409 kilometers) over the northern Pacific Ocean. Earlier, ground controllers used the robotic arm to unberth the cargo craft. After release, a new, small reentry capsule will be deployed from the unpiloted H-II Transfer Vehicle. Designed by JAXA and assembled by the station crew, the conically shaped capsule measures 2 feet in height and 2.7 feet in width (0.6 by 0.8 meters). The project is a technology demonstration designed to test the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) ability to return small payloads from the station for expedited delivery to researchers. HTV-7 will be a safe distance away from the space station after the last of several deorbit maneuvers. The return capsule will be ejected from a hatchway after the deorbit burn. The experimental capsule will perform a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Japan, where a JAXA ship will be standing by for its recovery. The HTV-7 spacecraft is scheduled to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up harmlessly over the South Pacific Ocean Nov. 10.
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