Progress Supply Ship Launches and Docks with the ISS in Lightning Fast Six Hours

The International Space Station has no shortage of ships coming its way. No sooner has the Dragon departed that another ship took its place, this one filled to the brim with supplies as well. The Russian Soyuz also docked recently, carrying three astronauts and other cargo.

The Russian Progress 49 launched from the Kazakhstan Cosmodrome in Baikonur earlier today and docked with the ISS six hours later.

For comparison, both the Dragon and the Soyuz capsule took several days from reaching low-Earth orbit to successfully docking with the ISS.

It's only the second time the Progress supply ship used this faster approach to docking with the ISS. To do this, Progress used a much steeper trajectory and only four full orbits around the Earth.

Ships usually take longer to reach the ISS since they're deployed at a much lower altitude than the space station and have to climb up to where the ISS is orbiting.

Progress is caring 930 kg (2,050 pounds) of fuel, 28 kg (62 pounds) of oxygen, 19 kg (42 pounds) of air, 420 kg (926 pounds) of water and 1,242 kg (2,738 pounds) of other supplies for the ISS.