A Russian space freighter has separated from its launch vehicle and is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) on a resupply mission, a Russian space official said Wednesday.

Russia launched a Soyuz carrier rocket with the Progress M-08M cargo spacecraft at 7:11 p.m. Moscow time (15:11 GMT) on Wednesday from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan.

"The freighter has separated from the third stage of the Soyuz launch vehicle...All on-board systems are operating normally," a Roscosmos spokesman said.

The freighter is expected to dock with the ISS on October 30.

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

MOSCOW, October 27 (RIA Novosti)