[1] Progress M-56 was launched by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

[1] Also carried to the ISS was an experimental MIT students-built picosatellite, named SPHERE, that will float inside the station, strictly maintaining its location inside.

The spacecraft docked with the aft port of the Zvezda module at 17:41:31 UTC on 26 April 2006.

[2][3] It remained docked for 146 days before undocking at 00:28:17 UTC on 19 September 2006[2] to make way for Soyuz TMA-9.

[2][5] Progress M-56 carried supplies to the International Space Station, including food, water and oxygen for the crew and equipment for conducting scientific research.