MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian government commission has given the go-ahead for the launch of a Soyuz-U carrier rocket with a Progress M-18M cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS), Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said on Monday.

Roscosmos specialists have started fueling the rocket, which is due to lift-off at 6:41 p.m. Moscow time (2:41 p.m. GMT) Monday from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

The Progress will dock with the ISS on Tuesday, delivering fresh water supplies, food, clothes, medical and research equipment.

The ISS crew will also receive letters from home, a set of photo equipment, a new onboard computer system and equipment for scientific experiments.

With more than 130 launches since 1972, Progress-family freighters remain the backbone of the Russian space cargo fleet. In addition to their main role as cargo spacecraft, they are also used to adjust the space station’s orbit and conduct scientific experiments.