Soyuz 2-1A Launch - Cargo Progress MS-08

A Russian Soyuz 2-1A rocket has been tasked with lifting the Progress MS-08 cargo spacecraft into orbit for a supplies delivery to the International Space Station. Carrying around 2,500kg of cargo, Progress MS-08 is the 161st overall mission of the Russian cargo vehicle since its first flight in 1978 and the 71st to the International Space Station; it is the first of three planned Progress flights of 2018. The mission planned to demonstrate Russia’s new two-orbit rendezvous technique that offers a faster transit time for crews and cargo from their remote Kazakhstan launch pads to their destination in space.