Russian Progress 96 cargo ship lifts off from Baikonur for the station's Poisk module

16 September 2026

Russia's Progress 96 cargo spacecraft rose from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz rocket, lifting off at 9:33 a.m. EDT, which was 6:33 p.m. Baikonur time. It carried about three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the crew of Expedition 75 on the International Space Station. The craft was set to dock on its own, without a pilot, at the space-facing port of the Poisk module, one of the Russian modules on the station, on September 19. Progress is Russia's long-running uncrewed cargo series, and it is the Russian segment's main supply line. Baikonur is the launch site Russia leases in Kazakhstan, and Soyuz is the rocket family used for both crew and cargo runs. Progress flights of this kind keep the station stocked between crewed missions.