A Russian cargo craft successfully docked with the Mir space station this morning, starting the countdown to the destruction of the 15-year-old Soviet-built orbiter.
Space officials said the Progress vessel, which is ferrying fuel and oxygen supplies to Mir, docked without problems at 5:33 a.m. (Irish time)
Ground control engineers will use the cargo vessel to nudge Mir out of orbit towards the end of February, and plan to ditch the 130-tonne vessel in the Pacific Ocean in early March.
Reuters