Progress MS-01 (russian: Прогресс МС-01, italic=yes), identified by
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
as Progress 62P was a
Progress spaceflight operated by
Roscosmos to resupply the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
(ISS) in 2015. It was launched on 21 December 2015, to deliver cargo to the ISS. Progress MS-01 is the first vehicle in the
Progress-MS
The Progress (russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked t ...
series.
History
The Russian Progress is an uncrewed cargo resupply spacecraft that is largely based on the
crewed Soyuz. It is used to resupply Space Stations and was used for the Russian
Salyut and
Mir space stations as well as the International Space Station that receives three or four Progress flights a year.
Spacecraft
Progress MS represents the latest generation of Progress spacecraft introduced in late 2015 in an upgrade (Article 11F615A61) from the
Progress M-xxM spacecraft (Article 11F615A60) that was inaugurated back in November 2008, succeeding in the
Progress M
Progress-M (russian: Прогресс-М, 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, o ...
configuration flown since 1989. This latest update in the line of Progress spacecraft, also to be introduced on the crewed
Soyuz craft, is largely focused on communications and navigation systems that are upgraded using modern electronics. Progress MS introduces a new
KURS navigation system, a new radio, the use of
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
/
GLONASS
GLONASS (russian: ГЛОНАСС, label=none, ; rus, links=no, Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, r=Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, t=Global Navigation Satellite System) is ...
for navigation, and the use of a proximity communications link for relative navigation. These changes will not significantly change the external appearance of the Progress except for the number of deployable antennas present on the spacecraft and beginning with the third cargo ship (No.433), each Progress MS spacecraft can carry up to four containers for launching up to 24
CubeSats for deployment.
Progress MS has been designed to launch atop the upgraded
Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle that will allow the craft to carry a greater cargo upmass to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
. The spacecraft is still compatible with the
Soyuz-U rocket that is being phased out in a soft transition to the newer version, alternating flights between the two to iron out any problems with no significant interruption of the supply chain to International Space Station (ISS). Progress spacecraft can dock to any port on the
Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) of the International Space Station, but usually use the
Pirs docking compartment and the aft docking port on the
Zvezda service module.
Once docked and secured in place, the hatch to the pressurized cargo carrier can be opened by the crew to unload the cargo. Because it is crewed in orbit (crew members can enter the spacecraft), Progress is classified as a crewed spacecraft, although it is launched without a crew. During its stay at the Space Station, all cargo is transferred to ISS. This includes dry cargo that is transferred by the crew, water that is also transferred internally,
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
, and
nitrogen
Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...
gas that is released to repressurize the station's atmosphere and propellant which is transferred via a dedicated transfer system being fed to tanks on the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS).
Afterward, Progress is loaded with trash and no-longer-needed items before the hatch is closed and the spacecraft undocks. Progress does not have a heat shield and makes a targeted, destructive re-entry to end its mission.
Launch
The launch was initially scheduled for 21 November 2015.
Progress MS-01 was launched on 21 December 2015 at 08:44:39 UTC from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome ( kk, Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, translit=Baiqoñyr ğaryş ailağy, ; russian: Космодром Байконур, translit=Kosmodrom Baykonur, ) is a spaceport in an area of southern Kazakhstan leased to R ...
in
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
Docking
Progress MS-01 docked with the
Pirs docking compartment on 23 December 2015 at 10:27 UTC.
Communications
The Progress MS spacecraft has upgraded communications and electronics from previous Progress vehicles. After launch, ground controllers were able to communicate the Progress MS-01 via a Russian
Luch data relay satellite in
geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...
. This was described as the first time a Progress or
Soyuz spacecraft had such capability.
Other upgrades include:
* Upgraded
Kurs-A rendezvous system designated Kurs-NA, including new antennas
* Upgraded flight control system that can take advantage of the
GLONASS
GLONASS (russian: ГЛОНАСС, label=none, ; rus, links=no, Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, r=Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, t=Global Navigation Satellite System) is ...
navigation satellites for the first time, for autonomous trajectory measurements
* New digital television system, which replaced an older analog TV, allowing transmission between the transport ship and the space station via onboard radio channels
* New digital backup control unit
* Enhanced meteoroid shielding
* New LED-based lighting system
* Upgraded angular velocity sensors
* Docking port equipped with a backup electric driving mechanism
Progress MS-01 was launched on a
Soyuz-2.1a, the first launch of the rocket since the failed launch of
Progress M-27M
Progress M-27M (russian: Прогресс М-27М, italic=yes), identified by NASA as Progress 59P, was a Progress spacecraft used by Roscosmos in an unsuccessful attempt to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015.
Launch
Progre ...
. The
Soyuz-U rocket was used for subsequent Progress flights until this flight.
Reentry
The
upper stage reentry was visible over
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
on 22 December 2015 at 05:30 UTC. The spacecraft initiated the
deorbit maneuver on 3 July 2016 at 07:03 UTC, with an expected landing of any possible debris on the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
by 07:50 UTC.
References
External links
Progress MS-1 Real Time Tracking
{{Orbital launches in 2015
Progress (spacecraft) missions
Spacecraft launched in 2015
2015 in Russia
Spacecraft which reentered in 2016
Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-2 rockets
Supply vehicles for the International Space Station