Mission Overview and Arrival
Russia's automated Progress 96 resupply vessel is poised to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) today, September 19. The spacecraft successfully lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 16, carried by a Soyuz launch vehicle, beginning its three-day transit to the orbital laboratory.
The docking procedure is scheduled to occur at approximately 9:46 a.m. EDT (13:46 GMT). The cargo ship will connect to the space-facing docking port located on the station's Poisk module. NASA is providing a live broadcast of the event, with programming scheduled to commence at 9:00 a.m. EDT (13:00 GMT).
Supplies and Station Crew
The Progress 96 freighter is delivering roughly three tons of vital supplies, including food, fuel, and equipment, to support the current inhabitants of the ISS. The station is currently hosting a crew of seven individuals:
- NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir, and Anil Menon
- European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot
- Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina
Operational Lifecycle
Following a successful docking, the Progress 96 craft will remain integrated with the space station for approximately five months. Once its mission concludes, it will be filled with station waste and commanded to deorbit. During its descent, the vessel will burn up upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
This method of disposal is standard practice for the majority of international resupply fleets. As noted in the industry,
«The ultimate fate of most ISS resupply spacecraft—every Progress, JAXA's HTV-X, and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus—is to burn up in the atmosphere. Only the SpaceX Dragon capsule currently offers reusable capabilities.»