LAUNCH OF PROGRESS MS-10 CARGO MISSION TO ISS, Nov 16, 2018, Kazakhstan, 1:14 pm ET (NASA coverage begins 1:00 pm ET)

Russia will launch its next robotic cargo mission, Progress MS-10, to the International Space Station (ISS) on November 16, 2018 at 1:14 pm ET (12:14 am Saturday, November 17, local time at the launch site).  NASA TV coverage begins at 1:00 pm ET.

NASA refers to this as Progress 71 because it is the 71st Progress launched to ISS (but there were many Progress launches to Russian space stations before the ISS was built).

In addition to sending supplies to the ISS, this launch will demonstrate that Russia has corrected a problem that caused the launch failure of Soyuz MS-10 on October 11.

Progress cargo spacecraft and Soyuz crew spacecraft are both launched on Soyuz rockets, although they are slightly different versions.  The one that failed on October 11 was a Soyuz FG.  It was determined that a damaged sensor pin prevented a nozzle from opening on one of the four strap-on rockets when it should have detached from the core vehicle.  The pin was damaged while the rocket was being assembled at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and all Soyuz rockets being launched from there, including the one for Progress MS-10, are being inspected to make certain there are no anomalies.

Progress MS-10 will dock with the ISS on Sunday, November 18, at 2:30 pm ET.  NASA TV coverage begins at 1:45 pm ET.