MOSCOW, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A Russian Progress M-MIM2 cargo spaceship has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, said the Mission Control Center outside Moscow.

    At around 6:41 p.m. Moscow time (1541 GMT), the freighter docked with the Zvezda service module of the ISS in automatic mode, said the center.

    The freighter has brought to the space station Russia's fourth scientific module Poisk (Exploration), as well as some 850 kg of food, water, oxygen and equipment for the ISS crew members.

    Astronauts on board the ISS are expected to unload those cargoes from the freighter starting from Friday afternoon and enter the Poisk module on Friday evening.

    The Poisk module, which will be formally deployed this December, is the first of three components Russia is planning to add to the space station in the next three years. It will be primarily used in 10 new scientific experiments.

    Similar to the Pirs docking station, the module can also be used to dock Soyuz manned spacecraft and Progress cargo spaceships. It will shoulder part of the functions of the Zvezda service module as well. Another function of the module is to serve as a passage for astronauts to step out of the station and conduct space walks.

    A Soyuz-U carrier rocket with the cargo spaceship atop blasted off at 5:22 p.m. Moscow time (1422 GMT) on Tuesday from the Baikonur launch pad, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan.

    Currently there are 10 modules on the ISS, with the Russian segment consisting of Zvezda service module, Zar functional cargo module and Pirs docking station.

    Russia's space company Energia is carrying out checks of an MIM1 module, which will be delivered to Cape Canaveral in the U.S. state of Florida in December and launched to the ISS in May.