Russia Sends Cargo Craft to Space Station

MOSCOW – Russia successfully launched a cargo spacecraft Tuesday loaded with fuel, food and mail for the Russian-American crew of the international space station, an official at mission control said.

The Progress M-49 craft lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz-U rocket at 8:34 a.m. EDT, spokeswoman Vera Medvedkova said.

The Progress later shed its rocket stages and entered orbit, the Interfax news agency quoted space officials as saying. It is scheduled to dock with the station Wednesday at 9:55 a.m. EDT.

The ship is carrying nearly 3 tons of cargo, Medvedkova said. Its payload also includes water, air and equipment for scientific experiments.

Russian commander Gennady Padalka and American flight engineer Michael Fincke arrived April 21 for a six-month stint at the station, whose assembly has been on hold since the space shuttle Columbia disaster in February 2003.