Russian Progress 86 spacecraft lifts off with supplies for ISS

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A Russian rocket carrying supplies for the International Space Station took off Friday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The Progress 86 spacecraft lifted off at about 4:25 a.m. EST Friday.

The Progress is an uncrewed spacecraft based on the design of the crewed Soyuz spacecraft that frequently carries crew to the ISS.

Unlike Soyuz spacecraft, which are designed to survive re-entry and return their crew safely to Earth, the Progress spacecraft is intended to mostly burn up on re-entry.

"The resupply ship reached preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned on its way to meet up with the orbiting laboratory and its Expedition 70 crew members," NASA said in a press release Friday.

According to NASA, the Progress 86 "will deliver almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies."

The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with at the International Space Station's Poisk module at 6:14 a.m. EST on Sunday.

NASA coverage of the docking will begin at about 5 a.m. Sunday.

A previous Russian supply spacecraft, Progress 84/MS-23 undocked from the ISS on Wednesday and reentered the atmosphere where it burned up.