The Roscosmos Progress 85 spacecraft launched successfully and is en route to the International Space Station, with a scheduled docking on August 24 to deliver three tons of supplies.
Following the launch at 9:08 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 22 (6:08 a.m. Baikonur time on Aug. 23) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the uncrewed Roscosmos Progress 85 spacecraft is safely in orbit and headed for the International Space Station (ISS).
The resupply ship reached preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned on its way to meet up with the orbiting laboratory and its Expedition 69 crew members.
Progress is scheduled to dock to the aft port of the Zvezda service module at about 11:50 p.m. EDT on Thursday, August 24. Coverage of rendezvous and docking will begin at 11 p.m. on the NASA Television Media Channel and the agency’s website.
Progress will deliver almost three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the space station.
Progress cargo craft are a series of uncrewed Russian spacecraft designed primarily to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). Developed and operated by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, these vehicles transport supplies such as food, fuel, water, and scientific equipment to the ISS. After delivering their cargo, they are usually filled with waste and deorbited, burning up upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Serving as a vital link in maintaining the operation and sustainability of the ISS, Progress spacecraft have been a reliable workhorse in the continued support of space station missions since the era of the Soviet space program.
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