Russia has launched an unmanned cargo space-ship loaded with 3t of supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

The launch of the Progress freighter spacecraft follows a failed attempt to send a similar spacecraft on 24 August, which crashed in the Gorni-Altai region of Siberia after a technical failure with the Soyuz-U rocket.

The Progress freighter was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan carrying supplies to the ISS, a $100bn space station funded by 16 countries which is currently orbiting 240 miles above Earth.

The spacecraft carries with it food, fuel and supplies, including crucial stocks of oxygen and water, maintenance gear, and spare parts.

The spacecraft also carries a mini satellite, Chibis-M, to study lightning and thunderstorms in the Earth’s atmosphere.