On July 31, 2019, at 12:10:46 UTC the Soyuz 2.1a carrier rocket successfully launched from the launching pad No. 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The rocket carries the Progress MS-12 cargo vehicle. According to the telemetry data, the separation of the cargo spacecraft from the third stage of the carrier rocket went as planned.

The antennas and solar panels deployed as planned; the spacecraft was taken under control by the Main Operative Group of the Russian segment of the ISS at the Korolyov-based Mission Control Center. The approach to the ISS is to be performed according to a four-orbit scheme. The automatic docking to the Pirs docking module is planned at 15:35 UTC. The Russian cosmonauts – ISS crew commander Alexey Ovchinin and flight engineer Alexander Skvortsov will control the berthing process.

The cargo vehicle will deliver 1.2 tons of dry cargo, over 1 ton of propellant in the refueling system tanks, 420 kilograms of water in the Rodnik system tanks, as well as 50 kilograms of compressed gas in the tanks. The cargo section also includes scientific equipment, life support system components, as well as containers with food supplies, clothing, medication and personal hygiene items for the crewmembers.

The two-orbit approach scheme was developed by Energiya corporation specialists (part of Roscosmos State Corporation) and has already been used twice to launch cargo spacecraft: Progress MS-09 in July 2018 and Progress MS-11 in April 2019.