A Soyuz-U has launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, putting an uncrewed Progress supply capsule in orbit to dock with the International Space Station (ISS).
The launch went according to plan, says Russian space agency Roscosmos, and the capsule has reached its desired orbit. The pressurized capsule contains essential supplies, including liquid thruster propellant, water and pressurized oxygen tanks. It is scheduled to rendezvous with the ISS on 26 April.
It is the 1,746th Soyuz launch to date, according to the Flightglobal/Ascend launch database.
The previous two flights in 2013, both to the ISS, used a launch trajectory optimised for rapid docking, allowing a rendezvous within only hours as opposed to days. That trajectory is only possible during certain periods, depending on the inclination of Earth and where the ISS is in orbit. The rapid-dock trajectory was not an option for the 24 April launch.
The capsule, once emptied of supplies, will be filled with trash from the station and left to burn up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
Source: Flight International
