A little while ago the Progress MS-2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After about ten minutes it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and was placed on its route. The cargo spacecraft has started its resupply mission to the International Space Station also called Progress 63. The spacecraft was launched in the route that requires two days of travel.

The mission of the Progress MS-2 spacecraft is part of the International Space Station resupply program that hopefully is back to normal after the loss of three space cargo ships between 2014 and 2015. The Russian space agency Roscosmos used for the first time this new version of the Progress in December 2015 with positive results.

The Progress MS-2 space cargo ship carries a total of more than 2.4 tons (5,346 lbs) of various types including food, water, oxygen, propellant and more. There are also various scientific experiments, tools, hardware of various kind and nanosatellites to be deployed from the International Space Station, which has become a launching platform for these tiny satellites. The ones sent on the Progress MS-2 spacecraft will be placed in orbit by hand during a spacewalk.

Two days ago, the Progress M-29M space cargo ship, the last of the previous version of this type of spacecraft, left the International Space Station after being filled with various types of garbage. The Progress can’t land so they’re used to get rid of waste disintegrating in the atmosphere together with them. In this case, it will be also used to conduct some scientific experiments until April 8, when it will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere with its destruction.

Generally the Russian spacecraft going to the International Space Station use the fast route which requires six hours. Instead, Progress MS-2 cargo was instead into the route that takes two days: as it happened for the previous Progress cargo MS-1, Roscosmos wants to perform tests of its on-board software and communications systems. For this reason, the spacecraft will reach the Station Saturday, around 18:00 UTC.