Soyuz rocket prepares to launch Progress 96 cargo craft to ISS
Roscosmos and NASA prepared the unpiloted Progress 96 cargo spacecraft to launch toward the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:33 a.m. EDT on Sept. 16, 2026. The freighter rides atop a Soyuz rocket carrying approximately three tons of food, fuel, and operational supplies for the orbital laboratory.
Flight timeline from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Liftoff occurs in Kazakhstan.
The booster leaves the pad at 6:33 p.m. Baikonur time to send the uncrewed ship into an initial parking orbit. NASA opens live mission coverage at 9:15 a.m. EDT ahead of the ignition sequence. The automated freighter then undertakes a three-day orbital chase toward the orbital station.
Autonomous docking at the Poisk module
Engineers scheduled arrival broadcast coverage to open at 9 a.m. EDT before automated navigation sensors align the cargo carrier with the complex without requiring manual control inputs from the crew members aboard the station. Contact with the space-facing docking port of the Poisk module is scheduled for 9:46 a.m. EDT on Sept. 19, 2026.
Manifest details aboard the resupply vessel
The Progress 96 cargo manifest allocates three tons of cargo to support station upkeep:
- Food provisions for orbital personnel
- Fuel supplies for propulsion maintenance
- Logistical hardware for laboratory operations
Operational schedule in Earth orbit
The cargo ship remains linked to the Poisk module for approximately five months to sustain continuous outpost operations. Ground controllers manage the vessel during its stay at the orbiting laboratory.
Progress 96 will undock from the station at the end of its stay to plunge into Earth’s atmosphere, where atmospheric friction burns up the vehicle over the Pacific Ocean.
