Russian Cargo Ship Rockets Toward ISS

A Russian cargo ship carrying a vital payload of food and other supplies launched into space today, beginning a two-day trip to resupply the International Space Station.

The supply ship, Progress 16, lifted off its launch pad atop a Russian-built Soyuz rocket at 5:19 p.m. EST (2219 GMT) during an on-time launch staged from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Nine minutes later, the spacecraft separated from its rocket and successfully entered orbit.

Today's successful launch marked the first stage in a vital resupply mission for the space station crew, ISS Expedition 10 commander Leroy Chiao and flight engineer Salizhan Sharipov, who have cut back on their food intake due to shortened supplies. If Progress 16 does not dock successfully with the ISS on Saturday, Chiao and Sharipov will be left with up to 14 days of food and would evacuate the space station, NASA officials have said.

Progress 16 is currently expected to dock at the space station's Zvezda service module at 6:31 p.m. EST (2331 GMT) on Dec. 25, though Chiao and Sharipov won't begin unloading the fresh shipment until Dec. 26.

About 2.5 tons (2,268 kilograms) of cargo is packed aboard the Russian spacecraft, including a 112-day supply of food, about 12 pounds of science hardware and 1,234 pounds of propellant for the ISS.

The spacecraft is also carrying, the German-built Rockviss robot to the orbital outpost, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. The robot, designed to be used to for repair work on the ISS exterior, will be managed via computers in the station's Zvezda service module and an aviation and space center in Germany, Interfax added.

While the new Progress supply ship is primarily filled with practical cargo like food, water and other consumables, its anticipated Christmas arrival for the ISS crew was not lost on mission controllers.

"There are going to be some good things and fun things in there too," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's ISS program manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, during a Dec. 9 prelaunch press conference.

• Complete Coverage: ISS Expedition 10