Russian transport module reaches International Space Station

Nov 2, 2011, 14:34 GMT

Moscow - An unmanned Russian cargo spaceship delivered 2.6 tonnes of supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, in a mission success that space agency officials have said will green-light manned flights to the station as well.

A Soyuz booster rocket fired from Kazakhstan's Baikonur space centre lifted the Progress supply module into space on Sunday. The craft was carrying fuel, fruit and mail for the three astronauts aboard the ISS, a statement from Russia's national space agency Roscosmos said.

Russian mission controllers previously said the successful unmanned Progress flight to the ISS was a critical condition for a renewal of manned flights.

A Soyuz rocket carrying a Progress supply module crashed on August 24. Russia then halted manned flights with the rocket to perform safety and maintenance checks of its Soyuz fleet.

Soyuz rockets use a personnel capsule technically similar to the unmanned Progress module to carry astronauts. Since the US halt to Space Shuttle flights in July, Russia's Soyuz is the only means of delivering new crews to the ISS.

NASA officials have said that if Soyuz rockets are unable to carry crew to the ISS, the station might need to be abandoned. Roscosmos officials have vowed not to let that happen, even temporarily.

The next manned flight to the ISS is scheduled for November 14, with a Soyuz launch from Baikonur.

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