Watch as Progress docks with Space Station bringing a holiday delivery

Astronauts Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei headed outside the International Space Station Thursday on a spacewalk to replace one end of the lab’s Canadian-built robotic arm, a changeout that engineers say will restore the device to full capability.

Mission managers Tuesday granted approval to proceed with Wednesday’s rollout of the Atlas 5 rocket and Thursday’s launch to deliver the commercial Cygnus cargo ship into orbit to resupply the International Space Station.

A Russian Soyuz rocket rolled out to its launch pad in Kazakhstan on Monday, two days before its scheduled departure with three passengers on the way to the International Space Station.