Space Flyer Unit mission

The Space Flyer Unit mission combined Japanese scientific and engineering experiments with a demonstration of a retrievable orbital research platform. SFU launched from Tanegashima aboard H-II Test Vehicle No. 3 on March 18, 1995, then raised its orbit for observations and experiments. Its payload included infrared astronomy, materials processing, space biology, plasma measurements, and solar-array and propulsion demonstrations. Following about ten months of operations, Endeavour recovered SFU during STS-72 on January 13, 1996, and returned it to Earth on January 20.