Progress MS-25 resupply ship takes off from Baikonur for ISS

MOSCOW. Dec 1 (Interfax) - A Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle coupled with the Progress MS-25 resupply ship has blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Roscosmos said in a stream.

The rocket was launched from Baikonur Site 31 at 12:25 p.m.

The ship will reach the ISS in two days. Its docking with the ISS Russian segment's Poisk module is due at 2:15 p.m. on December 3. The ship will spend 179 days in orbit, Roscosmos said.

Progress MS-25 will fly around the Earth 34 times within 49 hours and 50 minutes before arriving at the ISS, Roscosmos said in the launch materials.

As reported, the ship is carrying the Incubator-3 system and 48 Japanese quail eggs for the Quail experiment.

The eggs will be placed into the incubator, and cosmonauts will monitor the embryo development stages. The experiment results will be sent to Earth in capsules, where the experiment will continue. The experiment will help build farms supplying food to crews on interplanetary flights.

The ship will also deliver about 2.5 tonnes of cargo, including 515 kilograms of station fuel, 420 kilograms of drinking water, 40 kilograms of nitrogen, and 1,553 kilograms of resource equipment, research kits, food, medical and hygiene products, Roscosmos said.