Russia's Progress cargo spaceship, launched on a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this week, docked with the orbital station in an automatic regime on Friday.

A Soyuz-U carrier rocket carrying the Progress M-04M freighter lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 06:45 Moscow time (03:45 GMT) on Wednesday.

The digitally controlled Progress craft delivered over 2.5 tons of food and water supplies, fuel and scientific equipment to the orbital station, which is manned by an international crew comprising five astronauts from Russia, the United States and Japan.

Progress-series freighters have been the backbone of the Russian space cargo fleet for decades. In addition to their main mission as cargo spacecraft, they are used to adjust the ISS orbit and conduct scientific experiments.

MISSION CONTROL, February 5 (RIA Novosti)