NASA will broadcast live the launch and docking of the Roscosmos Progress 96 cargo vehicle, which will carry approximately three tons of food, fuel and supplies to the International Space Station. The uncrewed vehicle will launch on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, September 9, at 12:15 p.m. EDT (9:15 p.m. Baikonur time); the broadcast will begin at 12 p.m. Progress 96 will autonomously dock at the space-facing port of the Poisk module on Friday, September 11, at 2:37 p.m., following a two-day journey. The arrival broadcast will begin at 1:45 p.m. The vehicle will reenter the atmosphere approximately five months later and burn up over the Pacific Ocean. Progress 94 will depart on Monday, September 7, at approximately 11:18 a.m.; this event will not be broadcast. Continuous habitation has been maintained on the station for more than 25 years.
Why it matters
This mission shows how the regular flow of logistics supports the continuation of continuous habitation on the International Space Station; the food, fuel and supplies being delivered will support the crew’s daily activities and the station’s operations. Following the departure of Progress 94, the autonomous docking of Progress 96 with the Poisk module demonstrates that the sequence of cargo vehicle missions and docking ports on the station are being managed in a planned manner. NASA’s sharing of the launch and arrival broadcasts will allow the public to follow the process of an uncrewed vehicle reaching the space station; however, the departure of the previous vehicle will not be broadcast. The open question is not how long the new cargo will last on the station, but which subsequent resupply mission will replace the vehicle that will be destroyed approximately five months later.