A spacecraft launched on Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan has malfunctioned and is spinning out of control. The 7-meter long Progress 59 spacecraft started malfunctioning soon after it reached orbit on Tuesday and fell into an uncontrolled spin. Up until now, flight controllers haven't ben able to establish two-way communications with the spacecraft.

The spacecraft is holding ~2500 kilograms of food, experiments, and equipment for astronauts onboard the International Space Station. Not to worry though, the astronauts will have plenty of resources to survive until the next resupply mission.

These types of spacecraft typically re-enter over the south Pacific in order to avoid any debris falling on land - while much of the spacecraft does burn up during re-entry, some pieces will hit the surface.

Right now, it appears as if the spacecraft will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere in the next ~week... which means that there is a slight risk that the vehicle re-enters over land. Mission operators are trying desperately to regain control and guide the spacecraft to a safe re-entry over the South Pacific Ocean.
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