A Russian space freighter has launched toward the International Space Station with more than 5,000 pounds of fuel, water, oxygen, and crew supplies, clearing the way for the first astronauts to launch from Kazakhstan. The Progress 91 cargo craft will dock to get back to the port recently vacated by the Progress 90 craft on July 1. Progress 92 is one of a line of Progress spacecraft for Russia, which deploys the cargo craft to the ISS along with two U.S. commercial cargo vehicles, Cygnus and Dragon. The six-month mission will end with a controlled reentry into the atmosphere, so no new space junk is left up there.

Progress 92 to Replace Progress 90 at ISS as Russia Continues Steady Cargo Support from Soyuz Fleet

As per a mission brief from Roscosmos and updates from NASA, Progress 92 will attach to the Poisk module, taking the spot vacated by Progress 90, which undocked on July 1 after spending about seven months at the station. Progress 90 is expected to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere shortly. Progress 91, another Russian freighter launched in February, remains docked at the Zvezda service module. The steady stream of routine liftoffs keeps the space station well provisioned to last for the long haul.

The Russia’s Progress spacecraft family is crucial to keeping the ISS orbiting the Earth along with two commercial cargo vehicles from the U.S. — Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus and SpaceX’s Dragon. Unlike their single-use intended purpose for Progress and Cygnus, Dragon can return scientific materials and experimental results down to Earth, as well as itself being reusable.

The spacecraft will return to Earth after its six-month mission is complete, burning up in re-entry. This intended destruction also guarantees that there will be no debris in orbit.

NASA announced the successful launch a little after 3:50 p.m. EDT on July 3. Space.com wrote about the spacecraft’s uneventful ascent, further validating the trustworthiness of Russia’s venerable Soyuz-based cargo service for the sake of orbiting science and cooperation.