MOSCOW, July 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Progress M-24M resupply vehicle that was blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz-U carrier rocket has successfully docked to the Pirs docking module of the International Space Station (ISS), the Mission Control Centre (MCC) outside Moscow told ITAR-TASS.

The cargo ship docked to the ISS at the appointed time. “Its contact with the station took place in a normal mode, at the designated time,” the MCC said.

It said that although the docking was conducted in an automatic mode, a cosmonaut operator is always on the alert on the ISS, ready to take control.

“Progress M-24M docked to the ISS after a shortcut six-hour flight. The first such flight (in which the ship makes only four orbit passes) was tested in August 2012 on the Progress M-16M cargo spacecraft that in February 2013 was sunk in the Pacific. Before that, all resupply vehicles of this series took a two-day flight to the ISS.

The cargo ship has delivered to the ISS more than 2.3 tonnes of various life support cargoes for the station and crew, including fuel and research equipment, oxygen, waster, clothes and food for the cosmonauts. The cargo ship has also delivered to the ISS parcels and gifts for the crew from their families. In addition to standard rations, the cosmonauts as usual will get fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as sweets and candies from their relatives and psychologists.