BAIKONUR (Kazakhstan) Feb 2: A Russian cargo rocket carrying food and fuel blasted off for the International Space Station on Sunday, a day after the US shuttle Columbia broke up minutes before landing, killing seven astronauts.

“The launch has gone ahead as planned. So far, everything is fine,” said a spokesman at ground control just outside Moscow.

Russian experts, speaking at the launch of the Progress rocket at Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in the Kazakh steppe, said the Columbia disaster could prove a serious setback for the ambitious 16-nation ISS programme.

Sergei Gorbunov, a spokesman for Russia’s space agency, said work on the $95 billion station would be reduced until launches of US shuttles, used for heavy payloads, could be resumed.

NASA has put all shuttle flights on hold while it investigates the Columbia tragedy.—Reuters