Progress MS-21 docks at space station

The Progress MS-21 cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the Poisk mini research module on the Russian segment of the International Space Station on Thursday (Oct. 27) at 10:49 p.m. EDT (0249 GMT Oct. 28).

Progress coolant leak being investigated

Engineers at Russia's Mission Control Center outside Moscow recorded a depressurization in the coolant loop for the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which is docked to the space-facing Poisk module at the International Space Station station. Progress MS-21 was scheduled to undock from the station on Friday (Feb. 17), filled with trash to be deorbited over the Pacific Ocean.

The reason for the loss of coolant in the Progress MS-21 spacecraft is being investigated. According to NASA, the hatches between the Progress and the station are open, and temperatures and pressures aboard the station are all normal. The crew, which was informed of the coolant loop leak, is in no danger and is continuing with normal space station operations.

NASA specialists are assisting their Russian counterparts in the troubleshooting of the coolant leak. Officials are monitoring all International Space Station systems and are not tracking any other issues.

Progress undocks from space station

The Progress MS-21 spacecraft departed the International Space Station's Poisk module on Friday (Feb. 17) at 9:26 p.m. EST (0226 GMT Feb. 18).

Following undocking, Expedition 68 cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin sent commands from the station's Russian segment to rotate the Progress for additional visual inspections of the general area where a coolant loop leak occurred on Feb. 11.

Loaded with trash, the Progress is being deorbited by Roscosmos flight controllers over the Pacific Ocean after spending four months at the station.

Progress MS-21 deorbit delayed

The main operational control group of RSC Energia made a decision to deorbit the Progress MS-21 cargo spacecraft on Sunday (Feb. 19).

After the Progress MS-21 undocked from the International Space Station, a survey of its outer surface was carried out to determine the cause of the depressurization of the thermal control system. The deorbiting of the ship, which was scheduled for today (Feb. 18) at 07:03 Moscow time (11:03 p.m. EST Feb. 17), was postponed to analyze the information received.

The deorbit burn is now scheduled for Feb. 19 at 06:15 Moscow time (10:15 p.m. EST Feb. 18).

According to a Roscosmos forecast, any surviving fragments from the spacecraft are expected to fall into a remote area of the South Pacific Ocean at 06:57 Moscow time.

Damage to the Progress MS-21 spacecraft caused by external influences - preliminary conclusions

The analysis of emergency situations with the Soyuz MS-22 and Progress MS-21 spacecraft on the ISS continues. After the Progress undocked from the ISS, a detailed photo and video filming of the spacecraft was carried out.

According to preliminary data from RSC Energia, the Progress MS-21, like the Soyuz MS-22 before, was exposed to external influences. Such conclusions are made on the basis of images that show changes on the outer surface of the ship, including on the radiator of the instrument-aggregate compartment and solar panels.

In addition, in order to exclude the version of manufacturing defects, RSC Energia analyzed the history of comments on the thermal control system over the past 15 years.

The analysis of the received information continues, a number of ground experiments are planned to simulate damage.