Soyuz-2.1a booster with Progress MS-18 cargo vehicle successfully launched from pad #31 of Baikonur launchsite.

Soyuz-2.1a booster decorated with Gorodets painting successfully inserted into the low-earth orbit.

“The vehicle has separated from the third stage of the booster”, – Roscosmos reported.

In celebration of 800-years anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod side blocks of  the first and the third stages of the rocket were decorated with Gorodets painting.

It will take Progress two days to reach the ISS. The docking is planned for October 30, 04.34, Moscow time.

Progress vehicles were designed to deliver various cargos, fuel, air and potable water to the ISS.

170 Progress vehicles of various modifications have been launched to space from Baikonur since 1978 with only three of them being failures (in 2011, 2015 and 2016).

According to Roscosmos Progress MS-18 is going to deliver to the ISS 1490 kilos of various equipment and materials, including tools and devices for EVA, clothes, foodstuff, experiments kits, 560 kilos of fuel, 420 liters of potable water and 43 kilos of pressurized air. Besides 300 kilos of equipment for Nauka module upgrade were sent to space by this vehicle including Russian oxygen generating system Electron-VM and onboard workshop.

currently there are two oxygen generating systems operationg aboard the station: Russian Electron-VM in Zvezda module and American OGS in Tranquility.

As Institute of Biomedical problems specialist Alexander Agureyev said  the cosmonauts will receive fresh fruit and vegetables apart from standard sets of spacefood.

Besides the vehicle will bring to the station personal parcels for the crew from their families to maintain their psychologic status.