A transfer vehicle developed by JAXA to transport supplies from the ground to the space station. The mission of Kounotori was to be launched by a rocket, fly in space by itself to reach the space station, dock with the space station, get unloaded, be loaded with no longer needed goods, undock from the space station, and return into the atmosphere to burn up and be scrapped
(Publication Example)
https://www.imass.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/group/interview_kasahara/?id=anchor=#Kounotori
