A Russian Progress cargo vessel successfully docked with the International Space Station on Wednesday after its launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, mission control said.

The Progress docked automatically at 1334 GMT with the ISS after it had earlier blasted off on a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur at 0741 GMT, mission control said.

It is carrying more than 2.5 tonnes of supplies for the multinational crew of the ISS including water, food, fuel, technical equipment and even presents for the astronauts on board.

A faulty Progress launch last year that sent the capsule plunging back into Siberia was one of the worst mishaps in recent years for the Russian space programme and resulted in a temporary suspension of Soyuz rocket launches.