Progress 95 Cargo Ship Launch

Why It Matters

Progress‑95’s on‑time launch and flawless ascent ensure Expedition 74 receives vital supplies, reinforcing the ISS’s operational continuity and showcasing the dependability of Russia’s launch capabilities.

Key Takeaways

• Soyuz 2.1 booster launches Progress‑95 delivering 2.8 tons to ISS.
• Cargo includes dry supplies, fuel, water, and oxygen for Expedition 74.
• Automated two‑day, 33‑orbit rendezvous targets Zvezda aft docking port.
• Launch proceeded flawlessly; all three Soyuz stages performed nominally.
• Mission control teams in Baikonur and Moscow coordinate post‑launch operations.

Summary

The video chronicles the launch of the Russian Progress‑95 cargo vessel aboard a Soyuz 2.1 booster from Baikonur’s Launch Pad 6. The three‑stage rocket lifted off at 5:21 p.m. Central Time, beginning an eight‑minute, forty‑six‑second ascent that placed the unpiloted Progress into a preliminary orbit for a two‑day, 33‑orbit rendezvous with the International Space Station.

The payload totals 5,748 pounds (2.8 tons), broken down into 2,971 pounds of dry cargo, 1,741 pounds of fuel, 926 pounds of water, and 110 pounds of oxygen and air. After stage separations and shroud jettison, the spacecraft deploys its solar arrays and navigation antennas, then executes a series of delta‑velocity burns to match the ISS’s altitude and trajectory, culminating in an automated docking to the aft port of the Zvezda service module on Monday evening.

Onboard the ISS, Expedition 74’s seven‑person crew—including Russian commander Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov, NASA astronauts Chris Williams, Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and ESA’s Sophie Adeno—await the delivery. The video notes that a backup Toru manual docking system stands ready, though the automated approach is expected to succeed. The launch sequence, from nitrogen purging to umbilical retraction, proceeded without issue, and all flight parameters remained green throughout the ascent.

The successful delivery replenishes essential supplies, fuel, and life‑support consumables, underscoring the reliability of Russia’s launch infrastructure and the critical role of regular resupply missions in sustaining continuous human presence aboard the ISS.

Original Description

We're launching three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the International Space Station. Watch live with us.

The unpiloted Progress 95 resupply spacecraft is scheduled to lift off at 6:21 p.m. EDT (2221 UTC) on Saturday, April 25, on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After liftoff, Progress 95 will travel to the space station, a trip that takes two days. Once there, it will dock autonomously to the orbiting laboratory.

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs that aren’t possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and crew at: https://www.nasa.gov/station

Credit: NASA