A fresh load of supplies is headed for the International Space Station. <\/p>\n
Russia launched its robotic Progress 87 cargo ship on a Valentine's Day delivery mission toward the International Space Station tonight (Feb. 14). <\/p>\n
The freighter lifted off atop a Soyuz rocket from the Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:25 p.m. EST (0325 GMT and 8:25 a.m. on Feb. 15 local time in Baikonur). <\/p>\n
Related: Facts about Roscosmos, Russia's space agency <\/p>\n
Progress 87 is carrying about 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies. <\/p>\n
If all goes according to plan, the freighter will reach the orbiting lab early Saturday (Feb. 17), docking with the Russian Zvezda service module at 1:12 a.m. EST (0612 GMT). You can watch that rendezvous live here at Space.com, via NASA; coverage will begin at 12:30 a.m. EST (0530 GMT) on Saturday. <\/p>\n
Progress is one of three robotic spacecraft that currently fly resupply missions to the ISS, along with Northrop Grumman's Cygnus vehicle and SpaceX's Cargo Dragon capsule. <\/p>\n
Progress and Cygnus are expendable spacecraft, burning up in Earth's atmosphere when their time in orbit is done. But Dragon is designed to be reusable; it splashes down safely in the ocean under parachutes, which means it can bring science samples back down to Earth. <\/p>\n
Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:45 p.m. EST on Feb. 14 with news of a successful liftoff. <\/p>\n
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Russia launches a Valentine's Day Progress supply ship to the ISS - Space.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A fresh load of supplies is headed for the International Space Station. Russia launched its robotic Progress 87 cargo ship on a Valentine's Day delivery mission toward the International Space Station tonight (Feb. 14). Continue reading