MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) – A Progress M-18M cargo spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur site in Kazakhstan and put into orbit on Monday, a spokesman for the Russian mission control center said.
“The cargo spacecraft separated from the third stage[of the Soyuz-U booster] at the designated time. Automated docking with the ISS [International Space Station] is scheduled for 0:40 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday [20:40 p.m. GMT Monday],” the spokesman said.
The Progress is delivering water, food, personal hygiene items, medical and photo equipment, Russian flags and presents for the ISS crew.
With a record of more than 130 launches since 1972, 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 space station’s orbit and conduct scientific experiments.