Russia launches Progress MS-24 cargo spaceship into orbit

 A Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS-24 cargo spacecraft blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, sending it into orbit.

The rocket lifted off at 4:08 a.m. Moscow time (0108 GMT) and sent the spacecraft into orbit nine minutes later, Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos said.

Progress MS-24 will perform a two-day autonomous flight to the International Space Station (ISS), where it is expected to dock with the Zvezda service module of the space outpost on Friday at 6:50 a.m. Moscow time (0350 GMT).

The cargo spaceship will deliver about 2.5 tons of supplies to the ISS, including more than 1.5 tons of various equipment and materials, half a ton of fuel to refuel the station, 420 kilograms of drinking water and 40 kilograms of nitrogen to replenish the station's atmosphere.