Russia today (September 16) launched a cargo mission to the International Space Station, delivering the cargo spacecraft to orbit for a three-day rendezvous trip. The Progress 96 robotic spacecraft lifted off on a Soyuz rocket from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today at 9:33 a.m. EDT (1333 GMT). From the ignition of the engine to the deployment of solar panels on the spacecraft, the launch of Progress 96 was completely nominal. It was “a flawless launch,” NASA’s Rob Navias said during the mission’s livestream this morning, with “an excellent climb to orbit of the Soyuz booster.” Roscosmos’ Progress 96 cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikanour Cosmodrome on a Soyuz rocket on September 16, 2026. (Image credit: NASA) Progress 96 is loaded with approximately 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies for astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The freighter will deliver this cargo three days after launch, if all goes according to plan. You will be able to see the meeting and docking activities when the time comes. The freighter will remain docked at the orbital laboratory for about five months. It will then be loaded with trash and sent to a fiery death in Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. You may like The Progress 94 spacecraft met this fate on September 7, departing from the ISS Poisk module to make room for Progress 96. (Image credit: NASA) Progress is one of four spacecraft flying operational cargo missions to the ISS these days, along with Japan’s HTV-X, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus. All except Dragon are expendable and burn up in our air when their time in orbit is up. There are currently seven people living aboard the ISS: NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir and Anil Menon; Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency, who last month became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk; and Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev and Anna Kikina of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. ET on September 16 with news of a successful launch.
