In this photo released by the Roscosmos the Progress spacecraft blasts off Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, from Russia’s space launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to dock with the space station two days later. It is delivering 2.5 metric tons of fuel, water, food and other supplies. (Russian Federal Space Agency photo via AP)
An unmanned Russian cargo ship has lifted off on a journey to the International Space Station.
The Progress spacecraft blasted off Monday from Russia’s space launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, and is to dock with the space station two days later. It is delivering 2.5 metric tons of fuel, water, food and other supplies.
Russian Mission Control said the ship successfully entered its designated orbit just over nine minutes after the liftoff.
It was the maiden launch of a modified version of the Progress, which has been in service for more than four decades. The new version, called Progress-MS, is fully digital and features an improved docking system.
A Progress launch in April ended in failure, but the latest supply mission in October was successful.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense