A two-day International Space Station resupply mission that launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday has officially docked with the Earth-orbiting space lab.
Image Credit: NASA
The Progress 69 cargo ship made contact with the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module at 5:38 A.M. Eastern time on Thursday, providing the six crew members onboard with approximately three tons worth of new supplies.
A more detailed breakdown of Thursday’s cargo includes around 101 pounds of breathable air, 926 pounds of water, 1,940 pounds of fuel, and 3,128 pounds of miscellaneous necessities – including fresh food and science experiments, among other things.
Related: Astronauts repair the International Space Station's robotic arm on the most recent spacewalk
After the spacecraft docked with the International Space Station, automated airlock tests commenced so that crews can enter it safely to move supplies into the main space vehicle. Once complete, the empty cargo ship will make for a great trashcan to return unwanted or spent materials to Earth.
Notably, this week’s resupply mission was initially slated to launch on Sunday but saw unexpected last-minute delays that pushed it out until Tuesday.
Two more Progress resupply missions should blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan throughout 2018, but we can also expect resupply missions to originate from U.S. soil by way of SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon capsules when necessary.
Source: Phys.org
