An unmanned Russian spacecraft which spun out of control apparently almost hit Ireland when it crashed to Earth early this morning.

The Progress 59 craft was on a mission to re-supply the International Space Station (ISS) when something went wrong.

The capsule blasted off aboard a Soyuz rocket in Kazakhstan on April 28th, loaded with food, fuel and other supplies.

But flight controllers lost contact with the craft shortly after it reached orbit, and tracking radars later showed that it was descending towards Earth.

The cause of the failure is under investigation, with the preliminary results of Roscosmos' probe due to be released on May 13th.

Other space debris has tumbled safely to Earth in the past, including the US Skylab space station in 1979. Another Russian Progress cargo ship was lost during a launch accident in 2011.

Space commentator Leo Enright told Newstalk Breakfast it could mean complications for the ISS.