14 DAY TRIAL // Members of the Expedition 38 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have a busy 24 hours ahead of them. A new resupply spacecraft that launched from the steppes of Kazakhstan on November 25 is scheduled to arrive at the orbital facility later today or early tomorrow.
The Progress 53 unmanned space capsule was built for the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos) by RSK Energia, and was launched to space on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Usually, Progress capsules reach the ISS faster, but this flight is different, Space reports.
The spacecraft carries a new type of docking system, which RosCosmos wants to start using for future missions. Before it latches on to the ISS, Progress 53 will carry out a flyby of the station to test it.
The capsule is loaded with 2.5 tons of scientific and service equipment, food containers, fuel, water, oxygen and care packages for the crew. Upon arrival, the vehicle will be parked on the Russian-built Pirs docking module. When it completes its mission, Progress 53 will be filled with garbage and sent to burn high in Earth's atmosphere.