A robotic Russian cargo ship launched toward the International Space Station Wednesday to deliver a fresh load of supplies and test a new same-day docking plan that, if successful, will make it the first spacecraft ever to arrive at the orbiting lab within hours of liftoff.

The unmanned Progress 48 cargo ship blasted off atop a Soyuz rocket at 3:35 p.m. EDT (1935 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Asia. It was early Thursday morning local time at the site of the Russian spaceport. Since the spacecraft is attempting a novel same-day rendezvous and docking maneuver, it should arrive at the space station roughly six hours after liftoff, NASA officials said.

If everything goes according to plan, Progress 48 will arrive at the space station tonight at 9:24 p.m. EDT (0124 GMT Aug. 2). The robotic spacecraft will automatically park at the Pirs docking compartment on the Russian segment of the outpost.

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Russia is aiming to eventually implement this same-day docking plan for future manned flights of Soyuz space capsules to the International Space Station.

“They’re looking to eventually take this into the Soyuz phase,” Dan Harman, NASA’s space station manager of operations and integration, said in a news briefing last week. “If you can get the crew to orbit in six hours and onboard the International Space Station, that could be a tremendous benefit over the two-plus days it takes today.” [ Photos: Russia's 1st Same-Day Cargo Ship Flight to Space Station ]

Shortening the orbital chase Progress and Soyuz vehicles typically spend two days chasing the space station in orbit after launch. A quicker arrival to the orbiting complex could cut down the overall amount of consumables such as food, water and fuel needed for the onboard crew.

Docking to the station within hours of launch also minimizes the amount of time the astronauts spend inside the small Soyuz capsule, which could improve the comfort of the spaceflyers, said space station flight director Chris Edelen.

“The quicker rendezvous that you have, the less consumables you would need for the first day, and the better crew comfort in a small capsule,” he said.

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