Russia launching 3 tons of cargo to the space station today: Watch it live

Russia successfully launched the Progress 96 cargo spacecraft toward the International Space Station (ISS) on September 16, 2026, lifting off at 9:33 a.m. EDT (1333 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Riding atop a Soyuz rocket, the freighter achieved a flawless ascent, with NASA commentator Rob Navias describing it as “an excellent climb to orbit.”

Progress 96 carries about 3 tons of supplies, including food, fuel, and other essentials for the seven astronauts and cosmonauts currently aboard the ISS. The spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous and dock with the station three days after launch, where it will remain attached for roughly five months. During that time, it will serve as a vital resupply vehicle before being filled with trash and intentionally deorbited to burn up over the Pacific Ocean.

This mission follows the departure of Progress 94 earlier in September, which cleared docking space for the new freighter. Progress is one of four active cargo vehicles servicing the ISS, alongside Japan’s HTV-X, SpaceX’s reusable Dragon capsule, and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus. Unlike Dragon, the expendable Progress is designed to be destroyed upon reentry, underscoring its role as both supply lifeline and orbital waste disposal system