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The rocket blasted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 10:09 a.m. Moscow time (0709 GMT). “Six hours after the blast-off the cargo ship is to dock with the International Space Station (ISS),” Roscosmos website said.
This is the first launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket which has substituted the Soyuz-U-PVB rockets. First test of the new rocket was carried out in November 2004.
The Progress carries over 2.5 tons of cargo, including fuel, food, water and oxygen as well as various scientific equipment.
The resupplying ship is to dock ISS Russian segment at the height of about 400 km.
Earlier Wednesday, a US carrier rocket Antares driven by a Ukrainian engine exploded immediately over the launching pad in the state of Virginia. The Antares was supposed to deliver Cygnus cargo craft to the ISS U.S. segment.
Currently there are six people aboard the ISS, including three Russians, two Americans and one European.
Source: Agencies