Progress 24 Nears Station, Ready for Docking Tonight
After launching Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan the ISS Progress 24 is approaching the International Space Station. At 10 p.m. EST the new cargo carrier will link up with the station鈥檚 Pirs docking compartment.
The Russian resupply ship is loaded with propellant, oxygen, experiment hardware and other gear replenishing supplies for Expedition 14 and the upcoming Expedition 15 mission.
An older cargo craft, the ISS Progress 22, left the station with discarded items Tuesday evening. About three hours later the Progress 22 entered Earth鈥檚 atmosphere and safely burned up.
Wednesday鈥檚 launch of the new resupply ship honored the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Korolev 鈥� Russia鈥檚 鈥淕reat Designer鈥� of Soviet spacecraft. The spacecraft designer was born on Jan. 12, 1907.
Source: NASA
