Russia launched a
cargo mission to the ISS early Friday on the country's first resupply mission to the orbiting lab
The uncrewed Progress 81
freighter launched into a blue sky atop a Russian-built Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
Russia remains a
partner in the International Space Station (ISS) program despite its ongoing war on Ukraine
Progress 81 orbited the
Earth twice on its way to the space station, with the spacecraft ultimate docking itself at the aft end of the Russian-built Zvezda module
Progress 81 is
carrying 5,551 pounds of supplies for the station's seven-person Expedition 67 crew.
That includes about 3,214
pounds of dry cargo like food, clothing and gear; 1,323 pounds of propellant, 926 pounds of water and 80 pounds of nitrogen