November 26, 2008. Baikonur branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia,
Baikonur launch site

At 15:38:38 Moscow Time, Baikonur Cosmodrome launched Progress М-01М cargo transport space vehicle in accordance with the Mission Program and as per commitments undertaken by the Russian side under the International Space Station (ISS) Project.
This space vehicle is the first to be launched and among a new series transport cargo vehicles. Its separate onboard systems are upgraded, which made it possible to increase mass of cargo delivered, enhance manufacturability of the space vehicle and improve its performance as a whole.
The launch is aimed at testing of the modified space vehicle in space environment and delivery of different cargoes (2.6 tons by mass) to the ISS, which are required to keep the station going in a manned mode and support crew living and working conditions. Reserves of air, oxygen, water and food, fuel, consumables, scientific equipment and hardware are launched into orbit from the ground.
Space vehicle is put into reference near-earth orbit having the following parameters: inclination of 51,63њ; minimum altitude of 190,97 km; maximum altitude of - 252,57 km; Earth orbital period of 88,67 min.
The space vehicle prelaunch processing and launch at Cosmodrome were carried out under the direction of the State Commission (with A.N. Perminov, Roscosmos Head, as its Chairman). The Commission took decision to implement the prelaunch processing and launch stages guided by the conclusions made by the Technical Management led by V.A. Lopota, General Designer, President of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia.
According to telemetry data and reports generated by ISS-18 Prime Crew, the station onboard systems are operating in design modes. The ISS is ready to dock with the space vehicle.

For reference:

1. Crew of ISS-18 Prime Crew is working onboard the ISS and consists of the following persons: Michael Fink (NASA astronaut, Crew Commander); Yuri Lonchakov (test cosmonaut, NII CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin, 1st Flight Engineer) and Sandra Magnus (NASA astronaut, 2nd Flight Engineer) taking the place of the US astronaut Gregory Shemetoff within ISS-18 following the US Endeavour Space Shuttle docking with the station, as well as the Endeavour crew, including seven astronauts, who are to leave the ISS on November 28, 2008.
2. RSC Energia after S.P. Korolev is the leading enterprise of Russian rocket and space industry in the field of Human Flight Space Programs, responsible for the ISS Russian Segment development, its integration into the station and operational use, as well as for the development and utilization of the key Russian modules (Zvezda, Pirs, etc.), manufacture, launch and operational use of the Soyuz ТМА, Progress М, Progress М-01М space vehicles.
3. Progress М-01М is the 31st Russian cargo space vehicle, which has been launched to the ISS under this Project.
4. Scheduled factory inspections of the next space vehicle belonging to a new series are currently being carried out at RSC Energia after S.P. Korolev.