Progress MS-06 resupply ship blasts off from Baikonur
KOROLYOV. June 14 (Interfax) - A Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the sixth next-generation resupply ship, Progress MS-06, blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome for the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, an Interfax correspondent reported from the Mission Control Center in Korolyov, Moscow region.
"The launch vehicle has successfully taken off," the center's announcer said over the loudspeaker.
Progress MS-06 is transporting over 2 tonnes of cargo to the ISS, including fuel, air, equipment to maintain the ISS' serviceability, personal packages and life-sustenance means for the crew.
Besides that, there is also Russia's new NS-1M fitness machine and four micro-satellites, which Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Sergei Ryazantsev will launch during their spacewalk on August 17, a Baikonur source told Interfax.
"These are two university satellites Tanyusha-YuZGU, the Sfera-53 calibration satellite, and the TNS-O 2 satellite," the source said.
Progress MS-06 will reach the ISS within two days. The docking is scheduled for 2:42 p.m. Moscow time on June 16.
The resupply ship will approach the ISS and dock with the Zvezda service module in automatic mode under the control of the Mission Control Center and Roscosmos cosmonaut, ISS crew commander Fyodor Yurchikhin.