Russian spaceship dispatched on space station cargo run

BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: November 25, 2013


A Russian Progress resupply craft, filled with 2.9 tons of propellant and sporting upgrades to its automated rendezvous radar, blasted off from the Kazakh desert Monday en route to the International Space Station.

The unmanned cargo freighter, named Progress M-21M, lifted off on top of a Soyuz rocket at 3:53:06 p.m. EST (2053:06 GMT) Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a sprawling Russian-operated space base 125 miles east of the Aral Sea.

The three-stage launcher released the Progress spacecraft in orbit less than nine minutes later, and the cargo carrier deployed communications and navigation antennas, and extended its power-generating solar arrays spanning 35 feet tip-to-tip.

The Progress is taking an unusual four-day path to the space station, with docking to the lab's Zvezda service module scheduled for Friday at 5:28 p.m. EST (2228 GMT).

On Wednesday, the Progress spaceship will make a flyby of the space station, flying within one mile of the complex to test new gear on the spacecraft's automated Kurs rendezvous system planned to be added to upgraded Soyuz and Progress vehicles.

The cargo freighter is loaded with 1,763 pounds of propellant, 48 pounds of oxygen, 57 pounds of air, 925 pounds of water and 3,119 pounds of spare parts, experiment hardware and holiday gifts for the space station's six-person crew.

Credit: Roscosmos

Credit: Energia

Credit: Roscosmos

Credit: Roscosmos

Credit: Roscosmos

Credit: Roscosmos

Credit: Energia

Credit: Energia

Credit: Energia

Credit: Energia

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