Japan's New Cargo Ship

Japan's contribution to the space cargo ship fleet successfully arrived at ISS on its first flight. Unlike other such ships, Japan's version doesn't dock at the space station. Rather, it maneuvers close enough to let an astronaut using ISS' robotic arm snatch. The astronaut has 99 seconds to get the ship before it drifts out of range. Such an approach seems less efficient than actually docking, but it worked well the first time.

The future of government supported cargo ships might be limited, however. That niche would seem ideal for private corporations trying to establish a space capability. Indeed, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are working under contract with NASA to develop such ships. If corporations can fly cargo to ISS after the space shuttle is retired, the question will be whether to go with government programs from Russia, ESA, and Japan, or turn that function over to private industry to build a private ability to operate in space.