Russian Spacecraft to Dock with ISS

Posted November 2nd, 2011 at 3:00 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

Russia says the unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft is scheduled to dock Wednesday with the International Space Station.

Progress will deliver necessities such as food, water and clothing for the astronauts on board the station, as well as a satellite for a research on lightning strikes.

Russia's Federal Space Agency says Progress lifted off from Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan Sunday. The successful launch follows a failed attempt of a similar spacecraft in August.

A previous Progress cargo spacecraft was loaded with trash and undocked from the ISS Saturday. The trash-filled cargo spacecraft will be sent into a destructive orbit to burn-up upon re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.

Typically, the Progress craft will remain docked with the ISS until one day before the next supply ship is set to launch.

Progress is an automated, unpiloted cargo version of the Russian Soyuz Orbital Module spacecraft.