posted 06-29-2021 09:50 AM               

Progress MS-17 to resupply space station

Carrying more than 3,600 pounds (1,630 kg) of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 65 crew, Russia's Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday (June 29) at 7:27 p.m. EDT (2327 GMT or 4:27 a.m. on June 30 local time) to resupply the International Space Station.

The Progress will go into orbit for a two-day rendezvous before performing an automated docking to the Poisk module on the space-facing side of the station’s Russian segment at 9:02 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 1 (0102 GMT July 2).

Progress MS-17 will spend almost five months at the station. The cargo craft is scheduled to perform an automated undocking and relocation to the new "Nauka" Multipurpose Laboratory Module in late October. Named for the Russian word for "science," Nauka is planned to launch to the space station in mid-July.

Progress MS-17 will undock from the orbiting laboratory in November for a re-entry into Earth's atmosphere that results in its safe destruction.

posted 06-29-2021 07:23 PM               

Russia's Progress MS-17 launches to space station

The uncrewed Russian Progress MS-17 is now in orbit, headed for the International Space Station, following its launch on Tuesday (June 29) at 7:27 p.m. EDT (2327 GMT or 4:27 a.m. June 30, local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The resupply ship reached its preliminary orbit and deployed solar arrays and navigational antennas as planned as it began its two-day rendezvous.

After circling Earth 34 times, the Progress will dock to the space station's Poisk module on the space-facing side of the Russian segment at 9:03 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 1 (0103 GMT July 2).

posted 07-01-2021 09:26 PM               

Progress MS-17 docks at space station

The Progress MS-17 spacecraft docked to the Poisk mini-research module on the space-facing side of the International Space Station's Russian segment on Thursday (July 1) at 8:59 p.m. EDT (1259 GMT July 2).

The spacecraft was passing over the southeast Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile, at the time of docking.

posted 10-20-2021 06:42 PM               

From a NASA release:

The Progress 78 spacecraft will undock from the station at 7:42 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 20.

After undocking from the station's Poisk module, Progress 78 will back out to a distance of 120 miles from the space station for a period of just over 24 hours to allow for station keeping. The spacecraft will then make an automated docking at 12:23 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, to the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module.

The maneuver will position Progress 78 to conduct leak checks of the Nauka module's propellant lines before they are used with the new module's thrusters for orientation control of the station. Progress 78 arrived at the station in July and will depart in late November.

posted 10-22-2021 08:47 AM               

Progress MS-17 re-docked to station

Russia's Progress MS-17 spacecraft autonomously docked to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module at the International Space Station on Friday (Oct. 22) at 12:21 a.m. EDT (0421 GMT after undocking from the Poisk module on Thursday morning.

The relocation positions Progress MS-17 to conduct leak checks of the Nauka module’s propellent lines before they are used with the new module’s thrusters for orientation control of the space station.

posted 11-25-2021 10:39 AM               

Progress MS-17 undocked from ISS to make room for Prichal module

The Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft orbital mission is coming to its conclusion after 148 days in orbit. On Thursday, November 25, 2021, at 11:22:30 UTC (6:22 a.m. EST), the Russian spacecraft undocked normally from the International Space Station's Nauka module, vacating the docking port for the new Prichal module.

The Progress MS-17 vehicle has removed a special passive docking unit adapter, which ensured docking of Soyuz MS and Progress MS transport spacecraft with the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Thus, Nauka is now ready for the Progress M-UM cargo spacecraft-module docking, which is expected on November 26 at 15:26 UTC (10:26 a.m. EST).

The hatches between the freighter and the ISS were closed at 17:30 UTC (12:30 p.m. EST) on November 23. At 11:20 Moscow time, a command was issued to open the hooks of the Progress MS-17 spacecraft, it was undocked from the station and pushed away. After removing the spacecraft to a safe distance from the station, specialists of the Lead Operations Control Team (RSC Energia, part of Roscosmos) began a controlled deorbit of the spacecraft.

The Progress MS-17 engine is expected to start braking at 14:34 UTC (9:34 a.m. EST) and at 15:08 UTC (10:08 a.m. EST) the spacecraft will burn up during reentry. Russian experts predict that at 15:17 UTC (10:17 a.m. EST) the ship's non-combustible structural elements will drop in a non-navigable area of the Pacific Ocean, 1,880 kilometers (1,170 miles) from the city of Wellington and 7,740 kilometers (4,800 miles) from the city of Santiago. Roscosmos has completed all procedures to establish this area as temporarily dangerous for navigation of ships and aircraft flights.