A robotic Russian resupply ship to service the International Space Station successfully soared into orbit today carrying two-and-a-half tons of cargo, food and water for the high-flying laboratory.

The Progress 39P spacecraft during launch preps at Baikonur. Credit: Energia

The Progress freighter blasted off atop a Soyuz booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:22 a.m. EDT (1022 GMT) and quickly disappeared into the overcast sky. The liftoff had been delayed two days because of high winds at the remote launch site.

A preliminary orbit was achieved after a nine-minute ascent provided by the three-stage rocket, and onboard commands were issued to unfurl the craft's communications and navigation antennas and extend two power-generating solar arrays that span 35 feet.

A series of precise engine firings scheduled for later today and again on Saturday will guide the spacecraft toward its automated docking Sunday at 7:58 a.m. EDT (1158 GMT).

Today's launch is known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 39P. The spacecraft's formal Russian designation is Progress M-07M.

The 24-foot long ship will link up with the aft port on the Zvezda service module, a spot vacated by the Progress 38P vessel that was jettisoned a week ago.

That previous spacecraft will be remembered for the difficulties encountered during its initial rendezvous, causing the freighter to abort the automated docking and safely sail by the orbiting complex.

The Progress went into the standby condition when the communications link between the ship and station was interrupted. Engineers later traced the interference to a television transmitter used in the backup docking equipment that is available for the cosmonauts to manually fly the freighter via remote control.

The spacecraft intercepted the station again a few days later and successfully docked on the primary KURS autopilot system. The cosmonauts didn't turn on equipment in the manual TORU system during that rendezvous to prevent the interference.

The Progress 39P spacecraft during launch preps at Baikonur. Credit: Energia

To ensure the issue doesn't repeat when the new Progress 39P arrives Sunday morning, Russian engineers made a slight modification to the manual docking system's activation time so it occurs as late as possible, just prior to the final test of that so-called TORU equipment. The change should prevent any inadvertent signals from the automated KURS docking system from interfering with TORU's power up.

The docking is supposed to happen with the autopilot in control. However, the manual system is brought online as a "hot backup" for the crew to engage with a moment's notice.

The cargo-delivery vehicle is hauling two-and-a-half tons of supplies to the station. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard the Progress amounts to 2,645 pounds in the form of spare parts, life support gear and equipment hardware.

The refueling module carries 1,918 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 375 pounds of water and 110 pounds of oxygen and air.

It'll remain attached to the station until December 20.

The space station is staffed by the Expedition 24 crew of commander Alexander Skvortsov, Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Fyodor Yurchikhin, and NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker.

The cosmonauts spent time Tuesday reviewing procedures and conducting refresher training on operating the TORU system just in case it is needed.

The following timeline shows the key events scheduled from launch until docking for the Progress freighter:

Day 1 events - Friday

Event	Mission Time	Eastern Time
LAUNCH	0/00:00:00	6:22:57 a.m.
Orbit Insertion	0/00:08:45	6:31:42 a.m.
Maneuver DV1 (19.72 m/s)	0/03:39:22	10:02:19 a.m.
Maneuver DV2 (12.27 m/s)	0/04:19:47	10:42:44 a.m.

Day 2 events - Saturday

Event	Mission Time	Eastern Time
Maneuver DV3 (2.00 m/s)	1/0 1:02:12	7:25:09 a.m.

Day 3 events - Sunday

Event	Mission Time	Eastern Time
Start Automated Rendezvous	1/23:08:57	5:31:54 a.m.
DV4 / Impulse 1 (16.249 m/s)	1/23:30:21	5:53:18 a.m.
Impulse 2 (1.155 m/s)	1/23:52:29	6:15:26 a.m.
Progress Kurs-A activation	1/23:55:33	6:18:30 a.m.
Zvezda Kurs-P activation	1/23:57:33	6:20:30 a.m.
DV5 / Impulse 3 (24.076 m/s)	2/00:15:42	6:38:39 a.m.
Good Kurs-P data (Range 80 km)	2/00:20:57	6:43:54 a.m.
Kurs-A and Kurs-P short test (Range 15 km)	2/00:41:57	7:04:54 a.m.
Orbital sunrise	2/00:43:44	7:06:41 a.m.
Start Zvezda transmitter for TORU link (Range 9 km)	2/00:47:37	7:10:34 a.m.
Progress TV activation (Range 8 km)	2/00:48:57	7:11:54 a.m.
Start Progress receiver for TORU link (Range 3 km)	2/00:56:37	7:19:34 a.m.
Impulse 4 (6.476 m/s)	2/00:57:14	7:20:11 a.m.
TORU command link test (Range 2 km)	2/00:59:17	7:22:14 a.m.
Impulse 5 (5.328 m/s)	2/01:01:42	7:24:39 a.m.
Impulse 6 (2.293 m/s)	2/01:04:17	7:27:14 a.m.
Start flyaround	2/01:07:23	7:30:20 a.m.
Start stationkeeping	2/01:17:23	7:40:20 a.m.
Start final approach	2/01:24:03	7:47:00 a.m.
DOCKING	2/01:35:03	7:58:00 a.m.

Data source: NASA

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK NO. 3 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKERS CONCLUDE THE THIRD EVA PLAY
VIDEO: AMMONIA HOSES ARE ATTACHED TO THE PUMP PLAY
VIDEO: POWER AND DATA LINES BRING PUMP TO LIFE PLAY
VIDEO: REPLACEMENT PUMP SECURELY BOLTED DOWN PLAY
VIDEO: PUMP INSERTED INTO SPACE STATION SLOT PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER HAULS PUMP OVER TO TRUSS PLAY
VIDEO: RETRIEVING THE REPLACEMENT PUMP PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALK NO. 3 BEGINS PLAY

VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK NO. 2 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FAILED COOLANT PUMP REMOVED FROM THE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ROBOT ARM MANEUVERS SPACEWALKER AROUND PLAY
VIDEO: POWER AND DATA LINES UNPLUGGED PLAY
VIDEO: TROUBLESOME UMBILICAL DETACHED PLAY
VIDEO: NO REPEAT OF AMMONIA LEAK PLAY

VIDEO: POST-SPACEWALK NO. 1 STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PROBLEM CONNECTOR FINALLY FREED BUT THEN LEAKS PLAY
VIDEO: LEFT-HAND AMMONIA UMBILICAL COMES OFF WITH EASE PLAY
VIDEO: SKIPPING OVER PROBLEM CONNECTOR TO DO ANOTHER PLAY
VIDEO: TROUBLES AND ADVICE FOR STUCK AMMONIA LINE PLAY
VIDEO: PUMP'S SMALL COOLING LINE UNPLUGGED PLAY
VIDEO: SPACEWALKER DOUG WHEELOCK WORKS ON OLD PUMP PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON PUMP FAILURE AND SPACEWALKS PLAY

VIDEO: FULL BROADCAST OF SUPPLY SHIP'S DOCKING PLAY
VIDEO: WATCH CARGO FREIGHTER DOCK TO SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: PROGRESS 38P FREIGHTER LAUNCHED PLAY

VIDEO: ORANGE COUNTY AND AL JAZEERA MEDIA INTERVIEWS PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ RELOCATED FROM ZVEZDA TO RASSVET PLAY

VIDEO: WELCOME CEREMONY FOR THE NEW RESIDENTS PLAY
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY

VIDEO: FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: ENTIRE EXPEDITION 24 LAUNCH BROADCAST PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA OFFICIAL PLAY
VIDEO: ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
VIDEO: PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
VIDEO: CEREMONIAL VISIT TO RED SQUARE IN MOSCOW PLAY
SUBSCRIBE NOW