(Reuters) – A Russian booster rocket placed the Progress MS-30 spacecraft in Earth orbit early on Friday, sending it on its way to the International Space Station with a cargo of equipment and supplies, Russian news agencies reported.
The agencies, referring to a live broadcast by the Roscosmos space agency, said the spacecraft separated from the third stage of the Soyuz 2.1a rocket and went into orbit at 12:33 a.m. Moscow time (2133 GMT on Thursday).
The spacecraft is to orbit the Earth 34 times before docking with the ISS on Sunday. Officials said it was carrying 2.5 metric tons of cargo, including instruments and equipment for the station’s systems, clothing, food, medication and fuel.
Among the items on board is a new spacesuit to enable the station’s crew to go out into open space.
A crew of seven is currently aboard the ISS, comprised of three Russian cosmonauts and four U.S. astronauts.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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