A Russian supply spacecraft has finally docked at the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver much-needed supplies to space crew members. This, after several failed attempts.
The unmanned Progress 60 cargo ship arrived at 3:11 a.m. EDT at the Pirs Docking Compartment carrying "three tons of food, fuel and supplies, including 1,940 pounds of propellant, 106 pounds of oxygen, 926 pounds of water, and 3,133 pounds of spare parts, supplies and experiment hardware for the members of the Expedition 44 crew," according to a statement from NASA.
It is expected to be docked at the ISS for the next four months. Progress 60 was launched from a Soyuz rocket on July 2.
The news comes after a SpaceX rocket carrying supplies to the ISS disintegrated two minutes after taking off in Florida in June, as HNGN reported.
Previous to that, Progress 60 also had its share of mishaps when the resupply spacecraft from Russia spun out of control, failing to reach its orbit and falling back on Earth last April, according to Time.
NASA, however, said that space crew members were never in any danger after these incidents as supplies at the ISS would have lasted them at least until October. But the arrival of Progress 60 is definitely seen as good news after the two failed supply send-off missions.
Upon docking, astronauts at the ISS confirmed this with a tweet, remarking that it "Feels like Christmas in July."
#Progress docks to Pirs docking compartment at 3:11am ET. Crew reports, "Feels like Christmas in July" pic.twitter.com/pVoGUG5aQL
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) July 5, 2015
