Following the recent loss of the Russian Progress 59 cargo ship, NASA and its partners in the station have agreed to reshuffle future launches based on preliminary investigations by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos).

Space travel isn't just a matter of shooting rockets into space. It's a complex exercise in logistics that goes back to an army of subcontractors working to long lead times. As a result, the loss of a cargo shipment throws off future missions months in advance. It isn't simply a matter of lost freeze-dried shrimp cocktail, there's also knock on effects of delayed maintenance, and the problems of shuffling docking areas on the ISS.

The problem is complicated by suspicions that the loss of Progress 59 was due to damage caused by a malfunction with the Soyuz booster, which could affect later crew transfers that use the same launch system. Roscosmos is currently investigating the incident and will provide an update on May 22.