With space shuttle Discovery's mission complete, astronauts on the International Space Station robotically moved Japan's reflective orange cargo freighter Thursday to the bottom of the lab's Harmony module.

The five-hour task sets the stage for final packing of the H-2 Transfer Vehicle with trash and refuse before the 33-foot-long craft leaves the space station March 28.

The ship delivered 8,500 pounds of experiments, supplies and spare parts to the station when it arrived Jan. 27. With the bulk of the unpacking already complete, the crew's attention is turning to stowing unnecessary items inside the HTV's pressurized cargo hold.

The trash includes bulky packing material carried to the space station inside the Permanent Multipurpose Module, a new storage room delivered by Discovery that was filled with supplies and experiments to keep the lab operating and producing science results.

But the HTV's mission was interrupted by Discovery's visit over the last few weeks. Nicknamed Kounotori 2, the HTV approached the space station from below, was grasped by the outpost's Canadian robot arm and placed on the Harmony connecting module's nadir, or Earth-facing, berthing port.

But that position would have been in the way of some of Discovery's mission tasks, so managers opted to move the HTV to Harmony's zenith, or space-facing, port Feb. 18.

Kounotori 2 must depart the space station from the bottom of the complex, so astronauts had to move the craft back to Harmony's nadir port Thursday.

Space station flight engineers Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli commanded the lab's robot arm for the relocation operation from the seven-window cupola, which offers crews an almost boundless view of the vehicle's exterior. Station commander Scott Kelly assisted Coleman and Nespoli.

Unbolting of the 15-ton spacecraft began around 1100 GMT (6 a.m. EST) and after a carefully choreographed series of robot arm maneuvers, Coleman and Nespoli placed the HTV on Harmony's nadir port at about 1620 GMT (11:20 a.m. EST).

Then two stages of bolts drove to create a firm connection between Harmony and the HTV.

The HTV is scheduled to be grappled again by the robot arm March 28, unberthed from the space station and released about 30 feet below the outpost.

Japanese controllers at the Tsukuba Space Center outside Tokyo plan to order the expendable spacecraft back into Earth's atmosphere March 29 over the Pacific Ocean, destroying the ship and its load of space station garbage.

The International Space Station's robot arm moved a Japanese cargo craft from one docking port to another Friday, clearing room for the space shuttle Discovery to visit the complex beginning next weekend.

The barrel-shaped H-2 Transfer Vehicle, covered in reflective power-producing solar panels, was removed from the Harmony module's nadir Earth-facing berthing port at 1142 GMT (6:42 a.m. EST). Flight engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman led the HTV relocation procedures from robotic arm controls inside the station's cupola module.

After swinging the HTV from the bottom to the top of the station, astronauts guided the 33-foot-long spacecraft back to the Harmony module's zenith, or space-facing, berthing port at 1656 GMT (11:56 a.m. EST).

Harmony is one of three connecting modules on the U.S. side of the space station. It is the forward-most module of the orbiting lab and is also the arrival point for visiting shuttle missions.

Space station managers decided to move the HTV from Harmony's bottom port because it would be in the way of Discovery's docking to the complex. It would also prohibit removal of important cargo from the shuttle's payload bay.

Discovery is scheduled to launch Feb. 24 and arrive at the space station two days later. The shuttle is delivering more fresh supplies, the Leonardo permanent multi-purpose module and a logistics platform to be mounted outside the complex.

Nicknamed Kounotori 2, the HTV was carrying 8,500 pounds of experiments, spare parts and crew provisions when it berthed to the space station Jan. 27. The HTV approached the station from below, the lab's robot arm captured the free-flying craft from space and maneuvered it to Harmony's nadir port.

The HTV blasted off Jan. 22 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.

Astronauts earlier this month retrieved two spare parts payloads from the HTV's exposed cargo bay and Canada's Dextre robot, designed to perform human-like tasks, temporarily stored the units outside the space station.

The crew has also nearly finished unloading nearly 6,500 pounds of supplies from the HTV's pressurized cabin. Astronauts are putting trash and waste into the spacecraft for disposal when the HTV burns up in the atmosphere at the end of its mission.

One the shuttle leaves the station, the spacecraft is scheduled to be moved back to Harmony's nadir position around March 7. The relocation date could change based on the progress of Discovery's mission and any possible extension of the shuttle's stay at the outpost, according to NASA.

The HTV's departure is expected March 28 and re-entry will occur one day later.

Astronauts inserted an empty cargo pallet back into Japan's HTV resupply spacecraft Monday, ending a week of intense robotics to retrieve and store spare parts outside the International Space Station.

Operating Japan's robot arm from inside the complex, space station commander Scott Kelly picked up the cargo platform from the outdoor porch of the lab's Kibo module early Monday. Kelly handed the pallet off to the station's larger 58-foot-long Canadian robot arm, controlled by flight engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman.

Aided by visuals from an alignment camera, Nespoli and Coleman carefully guided the pallet back to the cargo bay of the H-2 Transfer Vehicle mounted on the Earth-facing docking port of the outpost's Harmony connecting module.

The pallet slid back into the HTV with the help of three guide rails to ensure it was stowed correctly. The platform was placed back inside the spacecraft at 1457 GMT (9:57 a.m. EST) Monday, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The space station crew continues unloading equipment in the HTV's pressurized cabin. Astronauts already transferred two refrigerator-sized Japanese scientific racks to the station's Kibo module.

The Kobairo science rack houses JAXA's gradient heating furnace for high-quality crystal growth experiments. It can heat samples up to 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another science rack delivered by the HTV will contain multiple smaller science investigations.

The 33-foot-long HTV blasted off Jan. 22 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan and reached the space station five days later. The resupply ship automatically approached the complex, receiving navigation cues from a laser sensor, and Coleman plucked the craft from space with the station's robot arm.

The spacecraft carried 8,500 pounds of cargo to the complex, including 6,455 pounds of supplies, experiments, crew provisions and computers packed inside its shirt-sleeve cabin.

The station crew will close the HTV's hatch and robotically move the spacecraft from the bottom to the top port of the Harmony module next week, making room for the shuttle Discovery's visit to the lab later this month.

Astronauts will move the craft back to Harmony's Earth-facing port in March to finish up cargo transfers, including the packing of trash inside the HTV for disposal.

The unmanned logistics freighter is scheduled to leave the space station March 28 and burn up on re-entry back into Earth's atmosphere the next day.

Canadian robotics systems aboard the International Space Station retrieved two cargo platforms from the Japanese HTV resupply freighter this week, stockpiling the outpost with more spare parts and proving an adroit mechanized handyman can perform operational duties in space.

Read our full story.

Check out these spectacular images of Thursday's rendezvous of the HTV cargo freighter at the International Space Station.

An automated Japanese supply ship cautiously approached the International Space Station Thursday, flying close enough for the lab's robot arm to grapple the free-flying satellite and move it to a docking port for two months of cargo transfers.

Read our full story.

Second-stage capture is complete and the HTV is hard-mated to the International Space Station, beginning about two weeks of logistics transfers between the outpost and visiting freighter.

Engineers will finish activating the HTV overnight and the crew will open hatches between Harmony and the HTV and ingress the ship at about 1230 GMT (7:30 a.m. EST) Friday.

External payload transfers are on tap for next week.

Sixteen bolts are gradually being driven in the common berthing mechanism to finish the attachment of the HTV to the space station.

European astronaut Paolo Nespoli has placed the HTV in the ready-to-latch position at the Harmony module.

The HTV is being moved to the ready-to-latch position in contact with the downward-facing port of the Harmony module.

Nespoli is moving the robot arm and the HTV closer to the Earth-facing port on Harmony.

Mission control in Houston has given the "go" begin the installation procedures to place the HTV on the Harmony module.

A NASA spokesperson reports the space station camera is more than an hour ahead of schedule in the procedure to maneuver the HTV from the capture position to its berthing mechanism on the lower side of the Harmony module.

Paolo Nespoli, a native of Italy, is the primary robot arm operator for the berthing. Space station commander Scott Kelly is inspecting the common berthing mechanism to ensure it is ready to receive the HTV.

Meanwhile, controllers in Tsukuba, Japan, are readying the HTV for its two-month stay at the space station by putting some of its systems in a dormant or hibernating state.

The robot arm has started moving the HTV in position for berthing.

Berthing of the HTV spacecraft to the Harmony module's Earth-facing port will begin after 1400 GMT (9 a.m. EST).

Capture of the HTV cargo freighter was confirmed at 1141 GMT (6:44 a.m. EST) as the station was traveling 220 miles over the southern Indian Ocean.

"Congratulations to all of you and congratulations to the HTV flight control team," radioed astronaut Megan McArthur from Houston to the space station crew.

"It demonstrates what we can do when humans and robots work together," station flight engineer Cady Coleman replied. "We look forward to bringing HTV 2, Kounotori, on-board the International Space Station."

The HTV is nicknamed Kounotori, or white stork in Japanese.

CAPTURE. The space station's robot arm has grappled the HTV cargo ship.

Cady Coleman is driving the robot arm toward the HTV right now.

Mission Control just gave the space station crew the "go" for capture of the HTV with the lab's robot arm.

The space station crew confirms the HTV is at the capture point 33 feet below the outpost's Kibo module. Cady Coleman will soon maneuver the robot arm toward the spacecraft's grapple fixture.

The HTV should arrive at the final hold point 10 meters below the space station in about two minutes.

The HTV is about 49 feet from the space station now. Station crew members and control teams in Houston and Japan are evaluating the craft's flight path toward the complex. The HTV must stay within a tight corridor during this phase of approach for the robot arm to grapple the free-flying satellite.

The range between the HTV and the space station is now about 72 feet.

The HTV has commenced its final approach to a capture point 10 meters, or about 30 feet, below the space station. European astronaut Paolo Nespoli is standing by with a control panel to issue an abort or retreat command should the spacecraft drift out of its rendezvous corridor.

Cady Coleman and Scott Kelly are inside the station's seven-window cupola module at the controls of the robot arm.

Mission Control in Houston has given its "go" for the HTV's final approach to the capture point just below the space station.

The space station and HTV cargo craft are passing into sunlight off the east coast of North America right now.

The HTV is now hovering at a hold point just 30 meters, or about 98 feet, below the space station's Kibo laboratory module. It is dark outside the complex right now, but orbital sunrise is expected in about 15 minutes.

The craft is scheduled to remain at this hold point for about 20 minutes before pressing into the capture box about 10 meters from the space station.

The station crew is now participating in a capture briefing to go over procedures for today's HTV arrival.

Range from the station is now 89 meters, or about 292 feet, according to Paolo Nespoli, who is managing the crew's role in today's rendezvous. Cady Coleman is at the controls of the space station robot arm to grapple the HTV later on this morning.

If you will be away from your computer during today's HTV rendezvous with the space station, sign up for our Twitter feed and get text message updates on your cell phone. U.S. readers can also sign up from their phone by texting "follow spaceflightnow" to 40404. (Standard text messaging charges apply.)

The HTV is now within 200 meters, or about 650 feet, of the space station.

Mission controllers just notified the space station crew the HTV has resumed its approach from the 250-meter hold point. Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli have been given the "go" to begin checkout of a control panel aboard the outpost that would be used to order manual holds, retreats and aborts in the final rendezvous sequence if necessary.

The HTV is now conducting a 180-degree yaw maneuver to better align its grapple fixture with the position of the station's robot arm. The flip also improves its position for a potential abort if problems develop.

Astronaut Paolo Nespoli aboard the space station reports the HTV is very close to its expected position at this point in the rendezvous.

The HTV has reached a hold point 250 meters, or 820 feet, below the space station. The rendezvous plan calls for the spacecraft to stop at this location for about 30 minutes. If everything looks acceptable, ground controllers will give the "go" to continue the approach.

The spacecraft should now be working with navigation data from its laser sensor, which shoots beams of light toward reflectors mounted on the bottom of the station for precise range and closing rate information.

JAXA controllers have given approval for the HTV to resume its approach to the space station. The craft departed the approach initiation point 5 kilometers behind the complex at 0825 GMT (3:25 a.m. EST), according to JAXA.

The next step in the rendezvous is reaching an insertion point 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, below the station in less than an hour.

Familiarize yourself with the major events of the HTV's approach to the space station in this timeline of the rendezvous.

The HTV has arrived at the approach initiation point 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles behind the International Space Station, according to the Japanese space agency. The spacecraft has paused its rendezvous at this point as controllers in Houston and Tsukuba, Japan, evaluate their readiness for the final approach.

The cargo ship is scheduled to resume its approach at 0825 GMT (3:25 a.m. EST) en route to a rendezvous insertion point 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, directly below the space station.

Five days after launching from southern Japan, an automated cargo freighter will arrive at the International Space Station Thursday with 8,500 pounds of fresh supplies, spare parts and science experiments.

Read our full story.

Japan's unmanned cargo freighter is two days into its journey to the International Space Station, and officials report the craft is functioning well.

The 35,000-pound satellite blasted off at 0537 GMT (12:37 a.m. EST) Saturday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The H-2B rocket delivered the spacecraft to orbit 15 minutes later.

We have posted photos of the spectacular afternoon launch from Tanegashima.

The 33-foot-long spacecraft performed its first major engine firing seven-and-a-half hours after launch. Called a phasing maneuver, the burn changed the HTV's speed by 76 mph. The ship performed additional thruster firings on the two successive orbits.

Telemetry showed the ship reached a nearly circular orbit nearly 200 miles high following the maneuvers.

The next significant burn is on tap for Tuesday afternoon, U.S. time. It will be the first of three height adjustment maneuvers planned for the rendezvous with the space station.

Firings of the HTV's four main engines and more than two dozen thrusters tweak the craft's trajectory during its five-day chase of the complex. Engineers must plan the burns just right for the HTV to eventually reach a point about 30 feet below the outpost, in range of the station's robot arm.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency reports the HTV, nicknamed Kounotori 2, is "continuing a smooth flight" on the way to the space station, where it will arrive Thursday. The lab's robot arm is scheduled to snatch the cargo craft from space around 1144 GMT (6:44 a.m. EST).

Japan successfully launched a robotic spaceship Saturday with supplies to stock the International Space Station with scientific gear, spare parts and provisions for the lab's six-person crew.

Read our full story.

NASA flight controllers in Houston report the HTV spacecraft is sending down good data to Japanese engineers in Tsukuba, Japan. Mission control has also informed the space station's six-person crew of the successful launch.

SPACECRAFT SEPARATION! The H-2 Transfer Vehicle has been deployed from the H-2B rocket's upper stage, setting the stage for the ship's rendezvous and arrival at the International Space Station next Thursday at 1144 GMT (6:44 a.m. EST).

The second stage engine has shut down as planned as the rocket flies northeast of the island of New Guinea.

Spacecraft separation should occur at T+plus 15 minutes, 11 seconds.

T+plus 13 minutes. The second stage's single LE-5B engine will turn off at T+plus 14 minutes, 21 seconds to wrap up the powered phase of today's launch.

The rocket is shooting for an orbit with an apogee of 186 miles, a perigee of 124 miles, and an inclination of about 51.6 degrees.

T+plus 11 minutes. The rocket is flying over the far western Pacific Ocean and now out of range of a ground station at the Tanegashima Space Center. A downrange station in Guam is now tracking the rocket.

T+plus 9 minutes. The second stage continues firing. This is a planned 8-minute, 19-second burn to inject the HTV into orbit.

The LE-7A main engines have shut down on time and the spent first stage has separated from the second stage. And the upper stage LE-5B engine has ignited to propel the rocket the rest of the way to orbit.

T+plus 4 minutes. The H-2B rocket's LE-7A main engines continue firing and everything is reported to be normal aboard the rocket.

JAXA confirms the two-piece payload fairing has been released from the rocket after it has traversed the dense lower layers of the atmosphere.

The first stage is burning well three minutes into flight. Attitude control, flight trajectory and combustion inside the two LE-7A first stage engines are all normal, JAXA reports.

The rocket's four strap-on boosters have burned out and jettisoned in two pairs.

T+plus 1 minute. The H-2B rocket has already broken the sound barrier as it flies southeast from the launch site.

LIFTOFF. The H-2B rocket is soaring into a blue sky over Tanegashima Space Center with supplies for the International Space Station.

T-minus 60 seconds and counting. Thousands of gallons of water are now being poured over the launch platform to cushion the structure from intense acoustic vibrations at launch. In the countdown's final minute, the rocket will be armed and the guidance system will start.

The ignition sequence of the two first stage engines begins 5.2 seconds before liftoff.

T-minus 90 seconds. The first and second stage propellant systems have been readied for launch.

T-minus 2 minutes.

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The H-2B rocket should be transitioning to internal power at this time. Everything remains set for liftoff at 0537:57 GMT.

T-minus 4 minutes, 30 seconds. The automatic countdown sequence has started.

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. Weather conditions at Tanegashima remain favorable for an on-time launch. And a status check of downrange tracking stations indicate they are ready to support.

In the final minutes of the countdown, an automated sequencer will control the final crucial steps before launch.

The automatic sequence will begin at T-minus 4 minutes, 30 seconds and computers will pressurize the H-2B's propellant tanks for flight at T-minus 4 minutes, 20 seconds.

At T-minus 3 minutes, the launcher will transition to internal battery power and remove external power.

Water will be released onto the launch pad deck beginning at T-minus 73 seconds to help suppress sound and acoustics during the ignition and liftoff.

The vehicle's pyrotechnic and ordnance systems will be armed at T-minus 30 seconds and the rocket's guidance system initializes at T-minus 18 seconds. Batteries controlling solid rocket booster ignition are activated at T-minus 15 seconds.

Sparklers underneath the rocket's two main engines ignite at T-minus 11.7 seconds to burn off residual hydrogen that could be an explosive hazard at main engine start.

T-minus 8 minutes and counting. The terminal countdown has started at the Tanegashima Space Center.

The H-2 Transfer Vehicle weighs 35,408 pounds at launch. That mass includes maneuvering fuel and 8.498 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station. Among the logistics is 2,043 pounds of external equipment, mostly comprised of a cargo transport container and a spare flex hose part for the station's cooling system.

Inside the HTV's pressurized cabin, workers loaded 3,605 pounds of Japanese cargo and 2,850 pounds of NASA equipment, including crew provisions, scientific gear, computers and spare parts.

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. Engineers are uploading the latest upper level wind data into the H-2B's flight computer. The rocket will use the information to compute a specific steering profile based on the real launch day weather conditions.

The 186-foot-tall H-2B rocket is sitting at Launch Pad No. 2 of the Yoshinobu launch complex situated on rocky outcrop at the southeastern tip of Tanegashima Island. The Yoshinobu launch complex was built for the H-2 rocket program that began operations in 1994 and has since been modified for use by the more powerful and reliable H-2A rocket family.

Launch Pad No. 1 of the Yoshinobu range hosts H-2A rockets and Launch Pad No. 2 is designed for the larger H-2B rocket, which was designed specifically for the H-2 Transfer Vehicle. The primary difference between the pads is the presence of a fixed umbilical tower at Pad 1, while Pad 2 features a "clean pad" concept and just a mobile umbilical tower attached to the launch platform.

In all, 26 rockets to date have departed Earth from the Yoshinobu complex since 1994. The most recent flight was an H-2A rocket launch in September 2010.

Familiarize yourself with the major events of today's launch. It will take about 15 minutes for the H-2B rocket to deliver the space station cargo freighter to orbit.

Also view a map of the trajectory the rocket will follow into space.

T-minus 30 minutes and counting. The International Space Station flight control team in Houston reports they are "go" for launch. The H-2 Transfer Vehicle, the 33-foot-long payload for today's launch, will arrive at the orbiting lab next Thursday, Jan. 27.

In the last few hours, launch officials completed a series of communications checks between the ground and the H-2B rocket.

The weather at the launch site looks favorable for liftoff.

With less than an hour to go until liftoff, launch officials have issued approval to enter the final 60 minutes of the countdown.

The final hour of the countdown will prepare the rocket, the H-2 Transfer Vehicle, and ground systems for flight.

Today's launch is timed for precisely 0537:57 GMT (12:37:57 a.m. EST; 2:37:57 p.m. JST), when the Earth's rotation will bring Tanegashima into the orbital path of the space station. The rocket must launch at the appointed time because there is no launch window available.

The rocket is now fully fueled to liftoff, but cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant continues to trickle into the vehicle to replace the fluid as it boils off.

JAXA officials just gave a "go" for cryogenic propellant loading after reviewing the status of the countdown and weather conditions at Tanegashima. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will be loaded into the H-2B rocket's first and second stages.

Tanking will begin with a chilldown procedure to condition the rocket and propellant plumbing for the super-cold temperatures of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. When fueling begins, officials will establish a 3,000-meter keep-out zone around the Yoshinobu launch complex.

Japan rolled the H-2B rocket to the launch pad this morning at Tanegashima Space Center, where the vehicle will undergo fueling and final preparations for liftoff on a cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station.

The 186-foot-tall rocket rolled about 400 meters, or 1,300 feet, from Tanegashima's Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad No. 2 at the space center's oceanfront launch complex. The transfer took about 30 minutes, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

Launch officials convened a few hours before rollout to assess weather conditions at Tanegashima, an island off the southern coast of Kyushu. The space center is positioned on the southeastern flank of the picturesque island.

A bad weather forecast earlier this week forced officials to put off the launch until Saturday. The flight was originally scheduled to take off Thursday, but thick clouds were predicted that could have prevented liftoff.

Workers were expected to connect the rocket's mobile launch platform to propellant, communications and electrical systems at the pad. Filling of the H-2B with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen is expected to begin after 2100 GMT (4 p.m. EST).

Both stages of the rocket burn cryogenic propellant.

Liftoff is scheduled for 0537:57 GMT (12:37 a.m. EST) Saturday. It will be 2:37 p.m. local time in Japan.

After turning southeast from Tanegashima and climbing into space, the rocket will deploy the 35,000-pound H-2 Transfer Vehicle about 15 minutes after blastoff.

The HTV is full of scientific equipment, provisions and other supplies for the six-person crew aboard the space station. The spacecraft is supposed to arrive at the outpost next Thursday, Jan. 27.

The mission is nicknamed Kounotori 2, which means white stork.

It is the second HTV flight by Japan. The first mission successfully carried logistics fo the space station in 2009, marking a major leap in space capability for the country.