Progress 25 Blasts Off for the Space Station

By Fraser Cain - May 14, 2007 at 4:57 PM UTC | Space Exploration
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A new Progress supply ship (P25) blasted off for the International Space Station on Friday, carrying more than 2.5 tonnes of fuel, air, water and other supplies. The unpiloted ship is expected to link up automatically with the station on Tuesday, docking at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module.

Once astronauts fully unload its cargo, they'll fill it back up again with trash and other material from the space station. It'll then undock and burn up through the Earth's atmosphere on July 20, making the garbage disappear forever.

The Progress vessels are very similar to the piloted Soyuz spacecraft that the Russians use to launch cosmonauts, and serve as lifeboats for astronauts on board the International Space Station.

NASA News Release

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today, founding the website in March 1999. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast.