Photo of a supply ship approaching the International Space Station. Credits: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now. The Russian cargo ship Progress, carrying supplies and equipment to the International Space Station, is scheduled to blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday. Takeoff is scheduled at 9:08 p.m. EDT (0108 UTC).
The unmanned spacecraft, carrying about three tons of cargo, will complete 34 orbits around the Earth before landing on August 24. 23.50 EDT (0350 UTC) will automatically dock with the space station’s Zvezda module. The rover is expected to remain in orbit for six months before departing on one final mission to dispose of the station’s debris.
NASA calls this mission Progress 85, but Russia uses the name Progress MS-24. This will be the 117th flight of the Progress spacecraft since its debut in 1978. The cargo freighter previously served on the Salyut and Mir space stations launched during the Soviet era.
Watch the launch live on our Launch Pad live stream.
