14 DAY TRIAL // The Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos) will launch a new resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station tomorrow, August 2. The capsule, designated Progress 48, will be the first vehicle to launch and dock to the space lab on the same day.
Like all Russian ISS-bound spacecraft, Progress 48 will take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 0124 GMT, on Thursday. The vehicle carries supplies for the six astronauts of the Expedition 32 crew.
Tomorrow's launch will represent a test of the new orbital path Russian spacecraft take to reach the ISS. It currently takes around 48 hours for Progress and Soyuz capsules, including manned ones, to chase down the station in orbit, Space reports.
RosCosmos wants to reduce this time frame to just 6 hours. If the launch is successful, then we could soon see manned Soyuz vehicles delivering new crew members to the ISS on the same day.