Today, June 29, Russia's Progress 78 uncrewed mission was successfully launched into space.At 7:27 p.m. Eastern Time (2327 GMT) or 4:27 a.m. on June 30, local time, Russia’s Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft launched from Russia's Roscosmos' Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan to the International Space Station in a mission dubbed Progress 78. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket launched the cargo ship.The spacecraft will orbit for two days after liftoff to space. It will dock with the station on July 1, at 9:02 PM EDT (July 2, at 0102 GMT). The vehicle can carry more than 3,600 pounds. (1,633 kg) of cargo, including fuel, food, and supplies for the orbiting laboratory.Video: Watch Russia's Progress 77 cargo vessel explode offRelated: Russia's Progress Cargo Ships Work (infographic).The Progress 78 cargo resupply and cargo spacecraft was launched by a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on June 29, 2021, at 7:27 p.m. ET (2327 GMT). NASA TV image creditThe spacecraft will dock at the station's Poisk Module, which is located on the station’s Russian segment. It will stay there for the next five month.The Progress capsule will complete its October mission and then perform an automated undocking to relocate to Russia's "Nauka", Multipurpose Laboratory Module, which is due to launch to space in July. Nauka is named after the Russian word "science".The spacecraft will dock with the station in November after a brief stay at Nauka. According to NASA statements, the spacecraft will then return to Earth's atmosphere where it will be destroyed by the Pacific Ocean in a safe and planned destruction.Russia refers the spacecraft to as Progress MS-17. NASA calls the mission Progress 78 or 78P, as it is Russia's 78th Progress flight to the International Space Station. These were not the first Progress supply missions. Older versions of the craft flew to other space stations in 1978. This was actually the 169th Progress flight to the ISS.Chelsea Gohd can be reached at cgohd@space.com. Follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Spacedotcom
