A breathtaking video shows the launch of a Soyuz rocket seen from the space

The European Space Agency (ESA) has released an incredible video showing the launch of the Russian cargo ship MS-10 Progress November 16 – seen from space. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), took pictures of the launch of Progress, from the air, and created a video that the studios Special effects of Hollywood envy:

The launch of the Progress spacecraft was part of a refueling mission for the ISS, consisting of providing food, fuel and supplies to the astronauts on board. The craft took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on top of a Soyuz rocket. In the video, you can see the key moments of the launch, such as the separation of the rocket booster at 00:07, the separation of the Core stage at 0:19, the Progress probe separating from the rocket and entering into orbit at 00:34, The central phase falls back to Earth after exhausting its fuel and burning up in the atmosphere at 00:36.

To escape the atmosphere and reach the ISS, the rocket must reach 400 km from the surface of the Earth and must match the speed of the ISS, which travels at 28,800 km / h almost 17,900 km / h. hour. All this had to be done by transporting 5,653 pounds of freight, including more than 1,650 pounds. propeller, 165 pounds. of oxygen and air and 116 gallons of water.

The images were captured using a camera that allowed images to be taken at regular intervals and then played at a speed of eight to 16 times faster to create the video. Thus, the minute and a half of the delayed recording represents about 15 minutes of real time. The camera used is part of the Cupola module of the ISS – the observatory module consisting of seven large windows around a small interior space that allows astronauts on board to observe space events near. Space station observation windows are tricky because they have to withstand the extreme pressure and temperature differences between the station's interior and the cold space void. This is why the 31 inch window of the Cupola is the largest window ever used in the space.