Russian cargo ship heads for space station

An unmanned Russian cargo ship carrying supplies and Christmas gifts for the crew of the international space station blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today, a Russian space agency spokesman said.

The Progress M-55 was launched at 21:39 pm (6.39pm Irish time) and was expected to enter orbit about nine minutes later after jettisoning three booster sections, said a duty officer with the Federal Space Agency.