First journey of supply in the space since the failure of Soyuz about to start

A US spacecraft loaded with supplies for the International Space Station is about to be launched on Thursday, marking the first such trip since the Soyuz rocket carrying three people that failed last month.

At the last moment, NASA added additional supplies to the three scientists in orbit, just in case. The next launch of Soyuz, with three other astronauts on board – a Russian, a Canadian and an American – is scheduled for December 3.

Additional equipment includes additional spare parts for the station 's water recovery and urine treatment system, said a NASA spokesman at AFP.

Several such systems are already in place on the ISS, but the supplements are meant to serve as a backup system in case the station goes through a period where no one is on board. The current crew of three should only stay in January.

Astronauts have always lived at the outpost in orbit since 2000, arriving and departing by crews of two to seven people at a time.

The cargo will be transported to space on a Cygnus freighter, launched Thursday by an Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia at 4:49 am (0949 UTC).

That is, if time cooperates. In late Tuesday, forecasts were only 30% favorable, with thick clouds and rain likely to interfere with launch plans, NASA said.

After the failure of the Soyuz rocket on October 11, just minutes after takeoff – the first such incident in the history of the post-Soviet space travel – Russia has suspended all space flights.

The astronauts on board were not injured. Russia has since attributed the problem to a damaged sensor during the assembly at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Russia is currently the only country in the world capable of launching human beings into space. The capabilities of the United States ended in 2011 when the space shuttle program was abandoned after 30 years.