Moscow, Aug 17 (IANS): The Russian cargo spacecraft Progress MS-28, launched on Thursday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos announced.

Roscosmos said the spacecraft attached itself to the Zvezda module of the ISS in an automated operation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The docking was monitored by flight control specialists on Earth. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin, all aboard the ISS, oversaw the process.

Carrying 2,621 kg of supplies, the Progress MS-28 delivered a wide range of essential items. Among the cargo were 950 kg of refueling propellant, 420 liters of potable water, and 50 kg of compressed nitrogen.

The spacecraft also transported about 1,201 kg of equipment and materials, including food for the crew, clothing, and supplies for scientific experiments.

Progress MS-28 is packed with nearly three tonnes of food, scientific equipment, and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The Zvezda port was occupied by the Progress MS-26 (87P) freighter until Monday night when it departed the ISS after a six-month stay and headed down to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere.

That's the normal end-of-mission scenario for Progress vehicles, as well as for Northrop Grumman's Cygnus freighters. The third currently operational robotic ISS resupply craft, SpaceX's Dragon capsule, is reusable, as it can come back to Earth safely for parachute-aided ocean splashdowns.