spacetoday.net: Russia launches Progress cargo spacecraft

Posted: Wed, Apr 27, 2011, 9:44 PM ET (0144 GMT)
Progress M-10M launch (Roskosmos)

A Soyuz rocket placed a Progress cargo spacecraft destined for the International Space Station into orbit on Wednesday. The Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:05 am EDT (1305 GMT) and placed the Progress M-10M spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft is carrying 2.6 tons of food, water, propellant, and other supplies. Part of the spacecraft's payload of experiments were considered time-sensitive enough by Russian officials that they declined to postpone the launch to avoid a scheduling conflict with the shuttle Endeavour, which was scheduled to launch on April 19. Instead, NASA had to delay Endeavour by ten days. The Progress is scheduled to dock with the Pirs module of the station at 10:29 am EDT (1429 GMT) Friday.