Russia Launched a Space Cargo Ship

Russia fired an unmanned spacecraft "Progress" to the International Space Station after a temporary problem forced the specialists to postpone it with two days.

The Soyuz rocket brought Progress from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to Kazakhstan and a few minutes later reached its orbit. The ship carries dry cargo, fuel, water, oxygen and air for the crew of the ISS. It also has equipment for the ICARUS experimental project, a system that will be installed on the outside of the station.

Initially, the Progress launch was scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed to the last minute for Tuesday without mentioning the reason. According to sources from the Russian space industry, there is a need to replace a computer on board Soyuz.

Under a program, the planned Sunday launch of the ship had to lead to a record short flight to the ISS, which would take only three hours after two laps on Earth. But with the postponement of the launch for today, Moscow puts the tried-and-tested variant on a two-day flight. Six astronauts are currently on board of the ISS, two of whom are Russians.