A load of basic essentials for the International Space Station and its resident crew -- food, fuel and supplies -- launched aboard a Russian-made cargo freighter today.

Soyuz rocket with supply ship rolled to launch pad. Credit: Roscosmos SEE PHOTO GALLERY

The Progress spacecraft blasted off atop a Soyuz booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:35 a.m. EDT (1535 GMT), soaring into a clear sky at sundown.

At the moment of launch, the station was flying about 220 miles over the South Atlantic.

A preliminary orbit was achieved after a nine-minute ascent provided by the three-stage rocket, and onboard commands were issued to unfurl the craft's communications and navigation antennas and extend two power-generating solar arrays that span 35 feet.

A series of precise engine firings scheduled for later today and again on Thursday will guide the freighter toward its automated docking Friday at 12:58 p.m. EDT (1658 GMT), marking the 38th such cargo craft received by the station.

The 24-foot long ship will link up with the aft port on the Zvezda service module, a spot vacated by a Soyuz crew transport that was repositioned to the Rassvet compartment on Monday.

Today's launch is known in the station's assembly matrix as Progress mission 38P. The spacecraft's formal Russian designation is Progress M-06M.

The cargo-delivery vehicle is hauling two-and-a-half tons of supplies to the station. The "dry" cargo tucked aboard the Progress amounts to 2,667 pounds in the form of spare parts, life support gear and equipment hardware.

The refueling module carries 1,918 pounds of propellant for transfer into the Russian segment of the complex to feed the station's maneuvering thrusters. The vessel also has 220 pounds of water and 110 pounds of oxygen and air.

It'll remain attached to the station for two months.

The space station is staffed by the Expedition 24 crew of commander Alexander Skvortsov, Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Fyodor Yurchikhin, and NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker.

The cosmonauts will be standing by Friday to take over manual control of the approaching Progress spacecraft if the autopilot experiences a problem.

The following timeline shows the key events scheduled from launch until docking for the Progress freighter:

Day 1 events - Wednesday

Event	Mission Time	Eastern Time
LAUNCH	0/00:00:00	11:35:15 a.m.
Orbit Insertion	0/00:08:45	11:44:00 a.m.
Maneuver DV1 (15.50 m/s)	0/03:35:03	3:10:18 p.m.
Maneuver DV2 (7.28 m/s)	0/04:33:50	4:09:05 p.m.

Day 2 events -Thursday

Event	Mission Time	Eastern Time
Maneuver DV3 (2.00 m/s)	1/00:57:48	12:33:03 p.m.

Day 3 events - Friday

Event	Mission Time	Eastern Time
Start Automated Rendezvous	1/22:59:45	10:35:00 a.m.
DV4 / Impulse 1 (26.353 m/s)	1/23:20:41	10:55:56 a.m.
Impulse 2 (1.245 m/s)	1/23:43:24	11:18:39 a.m.
Progress Kurs-A activation	1/23:45:45	11:21:00 a.m.
Zvezda Kurs-P activation	1/23:47:45	11:23:00 a.m.
DV5 / Impulse 3 (22.569 m/s)	2/00:06:49	11:42:04 a.m.
Good Kurs-P data (Range 80 km)	2/00:12:05	11:47:20 a.m.
Orbital sunrise	2/00:23:31	11:58:46 a.m.
Kurs-A and Kurs-P short test (Range 15 km)	2/00:33:05	12:08:20 p.m.
Progress TV activation (Range 8 km)	2/00:40:05	12:15:20 p.m.
Impulse 4 (6.467 m/s)	2/00:48:00	12:23:15 p.m.
Impulse 5 (5.269 m/s)	2/00:52:24	12:27:39 p.m.
Impulse 6 (2.307 m/s)	2/00:54:56	12:30:11 p.m.
Start flyaround mode	2/00:58:02	12:33:17 p.m.
Start stationkeeping	2/01:04:45	12:40:00 p.m.
Start final approach	2/01:11:45	12:47:00 p.m.
DOCKING	2/01:22:45	12:58:00 p.m.

Data source: NASA

Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: PROGRESS 38P FREIGHTER LAUNCHED PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ RELOCATED FROM ZVEZDA TO RASSVET PLAY

VIDEO: WELCOME CEREMONY FOR THE NEW RESIDENTS PLAY
VIDEO: POST-DOCKING NEWS BRIEFING IN RUSSIA PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ DOCKS TO THE SPACE STATION PLAY

VIDEO: FULL EXPERIENCE FROM LIFTOFF TO ORBIT PLAY
VIDEO: ENTIRE EXPEDITION 24 LAUNCH BROADCAST PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS SITE 254 FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: VIPS MEET THE CREW ON LAUNCH MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW MEMBERS DON THEIR SOKOL SPACESUITS PLAY
VIDEO: LAUNCH MORNING TRADITIONS AT CREW QUARTERS PLAY

VIDEO: SOYUZ ROCKET ROLLED TO THE LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: POST-ROLLOUT COMMENTS FROM NASA OFFICIAL PLAY
VIDEO: ASSEMBLY OF SOYUZ COMPLETED IN THE HANGAR PLAY
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHTS OF CREW'S ACTIVITIES AT BAIKONUR PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S DEPARTURE FROM STAR CITY TRAINING BASE PLAY
VIDEO: PRIME AND BACKUP CREWS MEET WITH REPORTERS PLAY
VIDEO: CEREMONIAL VISIT TO RED SQUARE IN MOSCOW PLAY
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