An artist's concept of Progress 251/1P nearing the International Space Station. Photo: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now

An unmanned cargo ship launched Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan successfully docked with the international space station today, carrying critical supplies and equipment to ready the lab for arrival of its first full-time crew in November.

Using the Russian KURS automated rendezvous system, the Progress 251 spacecraft gently docked with the space station at 2013:05 GMT (4:13:05 p.m. EDT) as the two craft sailed over central Asia.

NASA carried the final moments of the rendezvous live on the agency's satellite television system, relaying clear black-and-white video from cameras aboard the spacecraft to viewers in the United States.

"This is the first of many Progress supply vehicles that will be sent to the international space station over the course of its lifetime to supplement the space shuttle in delivering cargo and hardware," said commentator Kyle Herring from the Russian mission control center near Moscow.

"This first Progress will set the stage for arrival of the first expedition crew," he said. "That crew (is) getting ready to head to Russia for the final 12 weeks of its training and preparation for launch atop a Soyuz rocket."

The Expedition One crew - commander William Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev - is scheduled for blastoff from Baikonur at 0830 GMT (3:30 a.m. EST) on Oct. 30. They will dock with the station two days later to begin a planned 120-day stay.

But first, NASA plans to launch the shuttle Atlantis on Sept. 8 to carry additional supplies and equipment to the space station. Along with transferring shuttle supplies to the station and unloading the Progress, Atlantis's crew also plans to activate critical systems to ready the craft for arrival of the Expedition One crew.

More than 1,300 pounds of dry cargo -- crew clothing, computer gear, life support systems and other critical equipment -- is stored aboard the Progress 251 vehicle, along with rocket fuel that will be automatically transferred into tanks aboard the station.