Progress freighter to dock with Space Station

MOSCOW. April 22. KAZINFORM Russia's Progress M-15M cargo spacecraft launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on April 20 will dock with the International Space Station on Sunday, a mission control spokesman said.

"The docking of the Progress M-15M with the ISS is scheduled to take place at 6:41 pm Moscow time [14:41 GMT] in automatic mode," the spokesman said.

The Soyuz-U rocket carrying the space freighter blasted off from the Baikonur space center late on Friday afternoon.

The Progress is to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables and canned fish and water for the ISS crew. It is also carrying books, presents, fuel, medical and research equipment, bed covers, and hygienic items.

The spacecraft's predecessor, the Progress M-14M , undocked from the ISS on April 19 to conduct a nine-day Radar-Progress experiment to define the physical characteristics of the ionosphere environment around the spacecraft caused by the operations of its liquid propellant engines.

After it completes its mission, Progress M-14M will be de-orbited and sunk in a non-navigational area in the Pacific Ocean on April 28.

With a record of more than 130 launches since 1972 and only one failure, Progress-family freighters remain the backbone of the Russian space cargo fleet. In addition to their main mission as cargo spacecraft, they are used to adjust the ISS's orbit and conduct scientific experiments.

RIA Novosti