Russia launched a Progress resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, one of the rare Russian-American projects that has been maintained despite tensions between the two countries amid the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
The Soyuz 2.1a rocket with the Progress MS-26 spacecraft was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Russian space agency announced on its Telegram channel and broadcast a video of the launch.
The ship was successfully launched into orbit and is expected to dock with the station on Saturday morning, according to the same source.
It must provide fuel to the ISS crew, equipment for scientific experiments and food for the astronauts.
There are currently seven people on board the flying laboratory: three Russian cosmonauts, two American astronauts, a Dane and a Japanese.
In December, the Russian space agency and NASA agreed to extend their crossover flights to the International Space Station until 2025.
Russia announced in July 2022 its intention to withdraw from the ISS, where its cosmonauts are permanently stationed and in which it plays a key role, “after 2024.” The creation of a new Russian orbital station is therefore presented as a priority by Moscow.
The ISS is a model of international cooperation involving Europe, Japan, the United States and Russia. Construction of the ISS began in 1998. Its decommissioning was scheduled for 2024, but NASA estimated that it could be operational until 2030.