An unmanned Russian cargo ship joined the International Space Station late Friday (October 29) to deliver nearly 3 tons of supplies and some treats just before Halloween.
The supply ship, called Progress 79, docked at the space station on Friday two days later launch in orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The two ships met at 21:31 EDT (131 October 30 GMT) as they sailed 258 miles across Argentina, just south of Buenos Aires.
“It’s not going to be much smoother than that,” NASA spokesman Rob Navias said of the docking during direct comments. “A flawless ride from the launch pad at Baikonur to the docking at the International Space Station.”
Related: How Russia’s Progress Cargo Ships Work (Infographic)
Navias said the Progress cargo ship transports 5,623 pounds (2,550 kg) of supplies to the seven Expedition 66 crew members currently living on the International Space Station. This cargo probably contains some tasty treats, such as fruits and vegetables, as fresh food is typically a part of every delivery of Progress cargo ships.
Progress 79’s cargo includes 3,351 pounds (1,520 kg) of dry goods, 1,212 pounds (550 kg) of rocket propellant, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water, 106 pounds (48 kg) of air and 28 pounds (13 kg) of nitrogen, according to Navias.
The arrival of Progress 79 comes during a busy weekend for the space station crew.
On Sunday (October 31), the commercial company SpaceX will launch four astronauts to the station on NASA’s Crew-3 mission. Liftoff is set for 2:21 am EDT (0621 GMT) from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
SpaceX’s Crew-3 mission will send NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer to the space station to begin a six-month expedition.
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