The craft docked with the ISS on schedule at 1114 GMT, a mission control spokesman told AFP.

The vessel blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday, carrying 2.3 tonnes of fuel, canned food, water and oxygen as well as equipment for scientific experiments.

The docking marks the first time that two Progress vessels have been attached to the ISS at the same time, which should make correcting the rotating station's orbit more effective, Russian specialists said.

That task was usually carried out by US vessels, but Russia has been the only country servicing the station since the United States grounded its crew following the Columbia disaster on February 1.

Russian flight commander Yury Malenchenko and US flight engineer Edward Lu arrived at the space station in late April for a six-month mission.

SPACE.WIRE