Russians launch cargo ship to space station after 2-day halt

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MOSCOW (AP) — An unmanned Russian cargo ship has blasted off for the International Space Station two days after the original launch was scrubbed.

The Progress capsule is carrying 2.7 metric tons (3 U.S. tons) of food, fuel and other supplies. It entered orbit eight minutes after liftoff Tuesday from the Russian space complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Russian officials abandoned the spaceship's launch Sunday at the very last minute and launched an investigation into the reasons why. That cargo ship had been scheduled to test a new regime for faster deliveries to the space station, docking less than four hours after launch.

Tuesday's cargo ship launch will follow a longer route, with docking scheduled for Thursday.

There are six astronauts aboard the space station — three Americans, two Russians and one from Japan.