Fresh food and fuel arrive as Russian spacecraft docks with ISS

Russia's Progress 96 cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on September 19, carrying approximately three tonnes of supplies for the astronauts and cosmonauts onboard. Launched on a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan on September 16, the robotic vehicle spent three days in orbit before rendezvousing with the ISS at 9.44 am EDT (7.14 pm IST) on September 19.

Docking occurred with the station's Poisk module, while the two were about 418 kilometres above the Black Sea. The spacecraft delivered provisions such as food, fuel, and other necessary cargo. Currently, seven individuals inhabit the ISS: American astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir, and Anil Menon; ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot; and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina.

Progress 96 routinely supplies the ISS with cargo, which is later disposed of. Docking marked the end of Progress 96's three-day journey from Baikonur to the space station. The spacecraft is expected to remain docked for five months, during which the crew will unload and utilize its cargo. At mission's end, the spacecraft will be filled with waste from the space station and then sent toward Earth, burning up in the atmosphere.

This procedure is common for most uncrewed cargo spacecraft, including Japan's HTV-X, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus, and SpaceX's Dragon, which is unique in its ability to return to Earth and be reused.