Russia launches Progress M-21M spacecraft to ISS

The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) announced the successful launch of the Soyuz-U rocket carrying the Progress M-21M cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Soyuz-U rocket carrying the Progress M-21M cargo ship to the ISS. (Source: spaceflight101.com)

As planned, the Soyuz-U rocket left the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) at 0:53 (Moscow time).

It is expected that after three days, the Progress M-21M ship will reach the ISS, carrying supplies for the station and the group of astronauts working there.

During this docking between the ISS and the Progress M-21M spacecraft, Roscosmos will test the new docking system Kurs-NA.

Since the previous failed test on the Progress M-15M ship last year, the Kurs-NA has been significantly improved in terms of technical characteristics.

(According to VNA)