AlHijjah 3, 1432, Oct 30, 2011, SPA -- A Russian rocket carrying supplies for the International Space Station (ISS) lifted off as scheduled on Sunday, giving a boost of confidence after the country's space programme suffered a series of mishaps, dpa reported. A Soyuz-U booster rocket took off without incident from Kazakhstan's Baikonur space centre. Upon reaching space, the fourth stage - with a Progress M-13M supply module - detached successfully, Interfax news agency reported, citing officials at Russia's national space agency Roscosmos. The Progress supply module will reach the ISS by November 2,officials said. Astronauts in the space station will receive some 2.6 tons ofsupplies, including a mini-satellite to be deployed from the station, Interfax reported. Attention on the Soyuz launch had been intense because of worries over the rocket's reliability. Although other rockets can deliver supplies to the ISS, only Russia's Soyuz can transport astronauts there. A Soyuz rocket carrying a Progress supply module crashed after launching on August 24, raising concerns that Russia's workhorse rocket was not safe enough to transport personnel. A successful completion of Sunday's mission is widely considered necessary for Roscosmos to give the final go-ahead for a planned November 14 Soyuz launch with three astronauts on board. If a new crew is not brought to the ISS by the end of the year, NASA officials have said that it might need to be abandoned entirely. Roscosmos officials have vowed they will not permit that tohappen, even temporarily. Since the August failure, unmanned Soyuz rockets have twice launched successfully, on October 3 and October 21, both carrying navigation satellite payloads.
