How Russian Progress spacecraft deliver vital supplies to the International Space Station

Space · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Unpiloted Progress cargo craft serve as essential resupply vehicles for the International Space Station. This video covers the launch and docking procedures for these automated missions, highlighting the complex systems—and manual backups—required to ensure food, fuel, and equipment safely reach the orbiting laboratory.

Progress spacecraft launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan via Soyuz rockets. These missions carry several tons of supplies, such as the 2.5 tons delivered by Progress 47 or the approximately three tons carried by Progress 94. While these craft are designed for automated docking using the KURS rendezvous system, technical anomalies can occur, such as when one of the two KURS antennas failed to deploy on Progress 94.

When automated systems face issues, crews have backup options like the TORU (Telerobotically Operated Rendezvous System). This control panel, located in the Zvezda Service Module, allows a cosmonaut to manually pilot the spacecraft to the station. These missions demonstrate the critical balance between automated technology and human intervention required to maintain operations for the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory.

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