Robotic Russian Progress 89 cargo ship docks at ISS with tons of fresh supplies (video)

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The cargo ship is carrying nearly 3 tons of vital supplies.

An uncrewed Russian cargo ship successfully docked at the International Space Station early Saturday (Aug. 17) to deliver tons of fresh gear, food and other vital supplies. 

The automated Progress 89 spacecraft linked up with the International Space Station (ISS) at 1:53 a.m. EDT (0553 GMT) at the station's Russian-built Zvezda service module as both spacecraft sailed 260 miles (418 km) over the South Pacific Ocean. 

"Contact confirmed, docking confirmed," NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said during live commentary as the Progress spacecraft arrived. "Progress has reached the International Space Station." 

A Russian Progress 89 cargo ship nears the International Space Station with the blue Earth behind on Aug. 17, 2024.  (Image credit: NASA TV)

Russia's space agency Roscosmos launched Progress 89 to the ISS atop a Soyuz rocket on Wednesday from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft is carrying 2.8 tons of supplies for the space station's seven person Expedition 71 crew and two Boeing Starliner astronauts also aboard. 

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The supplies aboard Progress 89 include 2,648 pounds (1,201 kilograms) of food, gear and other dry goods, 2,094 pounds (949 kg) of propellant, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and 110 pounds (50 kg) of nitrogen.

The cargo ship will remain docked at the ISS for six months before being backed with trash and unneeded items to be disposed of by burning up in Earth's atmosphere, NASA officials said.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.