Abstract <p>We presented the results of a two-dimensional kinetic simulation of the generation and expansion of the current-carrying plasma of the cathode spot of a vacuum arc. It is shown that the particle, momentum, and energy flux densities on the cathode within the spot weakly depend on radius. Outside the cathode spot, their radial dependences can be approximated by a power function of radius. The electron flux densities decrease with radius by orders of magnitude faster than the ion flux densities. Different components of the pressure acting within the cathode spot are analyzed. It is shown that the negative electrostatic pressure acting on the cathode within the spot almost completely compensates for the sum of the pressures of ions and atoms, so that the resulting pressure is determined mainly by the reactive pressure of the evaporated atoms.</p>