posted 04-28-2015 06:51 AM               

Antenna problem hinders Russian cargo craft after launch toward space station

Carrying more than 6,000 pounds of food, fuel, and supplies for the International Space Station, the Progress M-27M spacecraft lifted off at 2:09 a.m. CDT (0709 GMT; 1:09 p.m. local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The launch proceeded as planned, however, Russian flight controllers could not initially confirm the health of the freighter's systems and deployment of its Kurs rendezvous and other navigational antennas. As a result, the controllers opted for to a backup rendezvous plan with a targeted arrival on Thursday (April 30).

Above: Progress M-27M launches for the space station. (Energia)

The Progress is in a safe preliminary orbit.

As the Progress passed over ground stations, the flight control team issued commands through a telemetry system aboard the spacecraft in an attempt to confirm that the navigation and rendezvous systems had deployed. But, due to sporadic telemetry, inconclusive data, and trouble uplinking commands, the controllers were unable to verify the status of the craft's systems.

The team will continue to look at the telemetry system to determine the overall health of the spacecraft. Instead of a four-orbit, six-hour docking later this morning as originally planned, Progress will make a two-day, 34-orbit rendezvous with the space station. With the two-day rendezvous, the Progress is scheduled to arrive at the space station at 4:03 a.m. CDT Thursday. Flight controllers are continuing to work to establish a good link with the Progress as it approaches the space station.

posted 04-28-2015 07:31 AM               

Progress M-27M tumbling in orbit

Russian flight controllers are continuing to troubleshoot problems with the Progress M-27M cargo freighter.

The spacecraft made another pass over Russian ground stations and continued to experience telemetry issues hindering the deployment of antennas and pressurization of manifolds in the propulsion system.

Flight controllers also confirmed that the vehicle had entered into a spin and have issued commands in an attempt to control it.

posted 04-28-2015 08:50 AM               

Docking with station postponed as troubleshooting continues

Russian flight controllers have continued to try and recover command capability with the Progress M-27M cargo craft this morning.

The most recent ground pass started at 8:20 a.m. CDT (1320 GMT) and flight controllers reported no change in the issues with receiving telemetry data from the unmanned craft. The Russian flight control team attempted to command the vehicle over four orbits flying over Russian ground sites with no success.

The next series of ground station passes is expected to resume late Tuesday evening. Teams are standing down on the Thursday docking attempt while Russian teams continue to analyze data and develop a troubleshooting plan going forward.

posted 04-28-2015 12:51 PM               

Russian Resupply Ship Experiencing Difficulties; International Space Station, Crew are Fine

The six crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) are safe and continuing regular operations with sufficient supplies as Russian flight controllers plan for another attempt to communicate with a cargo resupply spacecraft bound for the station. The next attempt to link with the spacecraft comes at 8:50 p.m. EDT Tuesday (April 28).

The Progress M-27M cargo spacecraft launched successfully from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 3:09 a.m. (1:09 p.m. in Kazakhstan) Tuesday on a Soyuz rocket bound for the space station. Right after it separated from the Soyuz booster's third stage, an unspecified problem prevented Russian flight controllers from determining whether navigational antennas had deployed and whether fuel system manifolds had pressurized as planned.

When flight controllers initially could not confirm deployment of the antennas in the minutes following its launch, they selected the backup rendezvous plan of two days and 34 orbits instead of the planned four-orbit, six-hour rendezvous.

During the spacecraft's first four Earth orbits, the Russian flight control team made several unsuccessful attempts to confirm the status of the spacecraft's systems but were unable to receive telemetry from some spacecraft systems. As a result, ISS flight controllers informed the crew a docking attempt to the station has been postponed.

The spacecraft was not carrying any supplies critical for the United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the station. Both the Russian and USOS segments of the station continue to operate normally and are adequately supplied well beyond the next planned resupply flight. The next mission scheduled to deliver cargo to the station is the seventh SpaceX commercial resupply services mission targeted for launch no earlier than June 19. It will carry about 5,000 pounds of science investigations and supplies.

The cargo of Progress 59 includes more than three tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the space station crew, including 1,940 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen, 926 pounds of water, and 3,128 pounds of spare parts, supplies and scientific experiment hardware. Among the U.S. supplies on board are spare parts for the station's environmental control and life support system, backup spacewalk hardware, and crew clothing, all of which are replaceable.

posted 04-29-2015 09:09 AM               

Russian Progress M-27M spacecraft falling back to Earth, failed to reach station

An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft has failed on its mission to deliver thousands of pounds of supplies for the crew of the International Space Station.

All attempts at docking the Progress M-27M spacecraft to the orbiting laboratory were called off on Wednesday (April 29), just a day after the cargo freighter was launched.

"Roscosmos announced the Progress will not be docking and will reenter the Earth's atmosphere here some days in the future to be determined," NASA astronaut Scott Kelly told the Associated Press from onboard the outpost. "This Progress is not coming to the space station."

posted 05-07-2015 10:18 PM               

Out-of-control Progress M-27M spacecraft falls back to Earth over Pacific Ocean

An out-of-control, uncrewed Russian cargo spacecraft fell back to Earth on Thursday (May 7), a week after failing to reach the International Space Station.

The Progress M-27M (59P) freighter, which was launched April 28 on a routine resupply run to the orbiting laboratory, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at 9:04 p.m. CDT (0204 GMT May 8) while over the Pacific Ocean, Russia's space agency reported.

"Progress M-27M ceased to exist," Roscosmos stated on its website, adding that the spacecraft met its end on the 160th orbit around the planet. It was not immediately clear if the report was based on observed data or predictions.

U.S. Strategic Command gave a re-entry time of 9:20 p.m. CDT (0220 GMT) over the South Pacific to the west of the southern tip of South America.