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Progress brings cargo for ISS, gifts for crew, micro satellite

The Progress M-13M is to dock to the Pirs module on November 2 at 15.40 MT

MOSCOW, October 30 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Progress tug (last this year) blasted off on Sunday from the Baikonur cosmodrome to the International Space Station (ISS).

Only four ferries rather than five, as was planned earlier, streaked to the ISS this year because of the failure of the Soyuz launch vehicle which was to bring to the station the previous tug in August.

“Soyuz-V launch vehicle with the Progress M-13M, carrying to the station over 2.6 tonnes of cargoes, blasted off exactly at 14.11 MT from the first ‘Gagarin’ launching pad,” Itar-Tass learnt from the Mission Control Centre in the Moscow Region.

Three days later, the ferry will bring the ISS crew foodstuffs, water, fuel, equipment, parcels from families as well as gifts from psychologists, fresh vegetables and fruit. Apart from standard cargoes, the spaceship will bring to the station cells of the yew-tree for biotechnological experiments.

The tug also brings the Chibis micro satellite to study thunderstorm phenomena on the earth.

Three men now work at the station: Russian Sergei Volkov, American Michael Foss and Japanese Satoshi Furukawa.

The Progress M-13M is to dock to the Pirs module on November 2 at 15.40 MT.