An uncrewed Russian cargo ship linked up with the International Space Station late Friday (Oct. 29) to deliver nearly 3 tons of supplies and some treats just ahead of Halloween.
The supply ship, called Progress 79, docked at the space station Friday two days after launching into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The two ships met at 9:31 p.m. EDT (131 Oct. 30 GMT) as they sailed 258 miles over Argentina, just south of Buenos Aires.
“It doesn’t get much smoother than that,” NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said of the docking during live commentary. “A flawless ride from the launch pad at Baikonur to docking at the International Space Station.”
Related: How Russia’s Progress cargo ships work (infographic)
Navias said that Progress cargo ship is carrying 5,623 pounds (2,550 kilograms) of supplies for the seven Expedition 66 crewmembers currently living on the International Space Station. That load likely includes some tasty treats, like fruit and vegetables, since fresh food is typically part of every Progress cargo ship delivery.
Progress 79’s cargo includes 3,351 pounds (1,520 kg) of dry goods, 1,212 pounds (550 kg) of rocket propellant, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water, 106 pounds (48 kg) of air and 28 pounds (13 kg) of nitrogen, according to Navias.
The arrival of Progress 79 comes during a busy weekend for the space station crew.
On Sunday (Oct. 31), the commercial company SpaceX will launch four astronauts to the station on the Crew-3 mission for NASA. Liftoff is set for 2:21 a.m. EDT (0621 GMT) from Pad 39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission will launch NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer to the space station to begin a six-month expedition.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
