New Cargo Ship Arrives at Space Station

by Spaceflight Now

Date: 18 October 2009 Time: 01:07 AM ET

Russian Cargo Ship Dazzles in Launch to Space Station

A dazzling view of the Oct. 14, 2009 (Eastern Time) launch of the Progress 35 cargo ship to the International Space Station was provided live via the Russian Federal Space Agency.
CREDIT: Russian Federal Space Agency

The International Space Station has received a new load of supplies from the latest Russian-built cargo freighter, which successfully docked to the outpost Saturday night.

The Progress M-03M ship attached itself to the Earth-facing port on the Pirs docking module at 9:40 p.m. EDT while flying in orbital darkness 225 miles above the South Atlantic off the coast of Uruguay. It's the 35th such spacecraft sent to the station over the past decade.

"Congratulations on the successful docking," Mission Control-Moscow radioed the crew.

The space station is occupied by the Expedition 21 crew of commander Frank De Winne, Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko and Maxim Suraev, Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk and NASA astronauts Jeff Williams an Nicole Stott.

The crew is scheduled to open the hatchway and enter into the Progress overnight.

The Russian-made craft is delivering two-and-a-half tons of supplies to the station. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard the Progress amounts to 1,750 pounds in the form of spare parts, life support gear and equipment hardware.

The refueling module carries 1,918 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 926 pounds of water.

The vessel was launched Wednesday night from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Video - U2 Calls Astronauts in Space
Image Gallery - Shuttle Discovery's Midnight Launch
SPACE.com Video Show - Inside the International Space Station