Progress MS-21 (), Russian production No.451, identified by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

as Progress 82P, was a

Progress Progress is movement towards a perceived refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. It is central to the philosophy of progressivism, which interprets progress as the set of advancements in technology, science, and social organization effic ...

spaceflight launched by

Roscosmos The State Corporation for Space Activities "Roscosmos", commonly known simply as Roscosmos (), is a State corporation (Russia), state corporation of the Russian Federation responsible for space science, space flights, List of space agencies, c ...

to resupply the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

(ISS). It was the 174th flight of a Progress spacecraft.

History

The Progress-MS is an uncrewed freighter based on the

Progress-M Progress-M (, GRAU indices 11F615A55 and 11F615A60), also known as Progress 7K-TGM, is a Russian, previously Soviet spacecraft which is used to resupply space stations. It is a variant of the Progress spacecraft, originally built in the late 1 ...

featuring improved avionics. This improved variant first launched on 21 December 2015. It has the following improvements: * New external compartment that enables it to deploy satellites. Each compartment can hold up to four launch containers. First time installed on Progress MS-03. * Enhanced redundancy thanks to the addition of a backup system of electrical motors for the docking and sealing mechanism. * Improved

Micrometeoroid A micrometeoroid is a tiny meteoroid: a small particle of rock in space, usually weighing less than a gram. A micrometeorite is such a particle that survives passage through Earth's atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface. The term "micrometeoro ...

(MMOD) protection with additional panels in the cargo compartment. * Luch Russian relay satellites link capabilities enable telemetry and control even when not in direct view of ground radio stations. *

GNSS A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geopositioning. A satellite navigation system with global coverage is termed global navigation satellite system (GNSS). , four global systems are op ...

autonomous navigation enables real time determination of the status vector and orbital parameters dispensing with the need of ground station orbit determination. * Real time relative navigation thanks to direct radio data exchange capabilities with the space station. * New digital radio that enables enhanced TV camera view for the docking operations. * Unified Command Telemetry System (UCTS) replaces previous Ukrainian Chezara Kvant-V as the Progress spacecraft's on-board radio and antenna/feeder system. * Replacement of the Kurs A with Kurs NA digital system.

Launch

On 3 February 2021, the State Commission for Testing of the Piloted Space Systems, chaired by Roskosmos head Dmitry Rogozin, approved the latest ISS schedule for 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. A

Soyuz-2.1a Soyuz2 (; GRAU index: 14A14) is a Russian expendable medium-lift launch vehicle and the seventh major iteration of the Soyuz rocket family. Compared to its predecessors, Soyuz-2 features significant upgrades, including improved engines and ...

launched Progress MS-21 to the International Space Station from Baikonur Site 31 on 26 October 2022. Around 2 days after the launch, Progress MS-21 automatically docked with Poisk and continues its mission, supporting

Expedition 68 Expedition 68 was the 68th List of International Space Station expeditions, long-duration expedition to the International Space Station. The expedition began upon the departure of Soyuz MS-21 on 29 September 2022 with ESA astronaut Samantha Cris ...

aboard the ISS.

Cargo

The MS-21 cargo capacity is as follows: * Dry cargo: * Fuel: * Nitrogen: * Water:

Means of attachment of large payloads

It delivered SCCS part of MLM Means of Attachment of Large payloads (Sredstva Krepleniya Krupnogabaritnykh Obyektov, SKKO) work platform to ISS. Coupled with LCCS part of this MLM outfitting, delivered to ISS by

Progress MS-18 Progress MS-18 (), Russian production No. 447, identified by NASA as Progress 79P, was a Progress (spacecraft), Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was the 170th flight of a Progres ...

, during VKD-55 spacewalk, it was transferred over to ''Nauka'' and installed it at the ''ERA'' base point facing aft where ''ERA'' use to be when it was launched, where it will be used to mount payloads on the exterior of Nauka module.

Coolant pressure accident

On 11 February 2023, the freighter lost coolant pressure days before undocking from ISS, with no impact to the station as cargo had been unloaded and the spacecraft had been loaded with waste to be discarded. This incident was similar to the

Soyuz MS-22 Soyuz MS-22 was a Russian Soyuz spaceflight to the International Space Station with a crew of three launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 21 September 2022. The launch, previously planned for 13 September 2022, was subsequently delayed to 21 Sep ...

coolant loop accident in December 2022. It was undocked on 18 February 2023 as per previous schedule, after which burned in the Earth's atmosphere after deorbit.

References