On May 21, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 9 (H-IIB F9) carrying the H-II Transfer Vehicle No. 9 known as "KOUNOTORI9" (HTV9), the cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS), was launched from the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center. Just before the launch, the rocket was lit up in blue. Ms. SASAKI Atsumi in the Public Affairs Department said as follows:

"In the unprecedented hard situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the cooperation of many people, we were able to conduct preparatory work for launching the H-IIB F9 as scheduled and transport necessary goods to the ISS. In order to express our gratitude to healthcare professionals across the country who have made considerable efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus thus far and the residents of Tanegashima who gave their understanding and cooperation to the acceptance of launch-related workers from outside the island, the persons concerned worked together to set blue lights. On the day of the launch, the final preparation for the launch progressed solemnly. In a very tense atmosphere where there were just a few hours left until the lift-off, the H-IIB F9 was lit up in blue, for only 15 minutes, by switching the ordinary white lights to blue lights."

In order to prevent many visitors from coming to see the blue lighting-up from within and outside the island, we did not make a prior announcement and widely conveyed the event with a message of thanks after the lighting-up. "On the day and the next day, the blue lighting-up event was widely reported by media. So I believe that our gratitude was surely conveyed," said Ms. SASAKI. With the news of the successful launch, our message of gratitude would have been delivered to a lot of people.

Furthermore, the messages of "Thanks" and "Hope" were put up on the movable launcher. These messages included our hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will be settled as early as possible and that people will be able to travel freely around the world, and our desire to launch the rocket into space (ISS) with the hope of a new era.

On August 20, the KOUNOTORI9 that delivered goods to the ISS made its re-entry into the atmosphere and accomplished the mission successfully. Both the H-IIB F9 and the KOUNOTORI9 were the final vehicles respectively, and even in that sense, this launch had a special meaning.