Posted: Mon, Feb 28, 2005, 7:43 PM ET (0043 GMT)
Russia launched a Progress cargo spacecraft destined for the International Space Station on Monday. A Soyuz booster lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:09 pm EST (1909 GMT) and placed the Progress M-52 (called Progress 17P by NASA) spacecraft into low Earth orbit. The Progress is scheduled to dock with the aft port of the Zvezda service module at 3:15 pm EST (2015 GMT) Wednesday. The Progress is carrying over two tons of food, water, propellant, and other equipment and supplies for the station. The previous unmanned Progress spacecraft that serviced the station, M-51, undocked from the station Sunday. It will remain in orbit for ten days to perform tests on ways to reduce the microgravity environment within the spacecraft before reentering.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  Reuters article
•  AP article
•  Itar-Tass article
•  BBC article