News

Progress M-27M logistics spacecraft launched from Baikonur

April 28, 2015

Launch vehicle Soyuz-2.1a carrying logistics spacecraft Progress M-27M was launched from Area 31 of the Baikonur launch site at 10:09:50 Moscow Time .

In accordance with the program of the International Space Station (ISS) the spacecraft will deliver to it propellant components, compressed oxygen, additional equipment needed to maintain the station in good working order, equipment for science experiments, medical supplies, personal belongings and food for the crew. Altogether, more than 2359 kg of cargo will be delivered, including 1395 kg of dry cargo, 494 kg of propellant, 420 kg of water and 50 kg of compressed gases.

Onboard the Progress there are kits containing St.George Ribbons and other symbols of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the second world war. Painted on the payload fairing of Soyuz-2.1a containing the spacecraft is a streaming St.George Ribbon, a picture of the Order of Glory surrounded by a laurel wreath and an inscription "70 years".

The rocket is to launch the spacecraft into and orbit with the altitude of 240 km at apogee and 193 km at perigee. In order to synchronize the orbits of the spacecraft and the ISS its orbit will be raised up to 400 km using its own propulsion system.

The spacecraft will use a 'quick' 4-orbit flight profile to rendezvous with the ISS. According to the calculations done by the trajectory people, the docking of the logistics vehicle with the Pirs docking compartment (DC) of the ISS is scheduled for 16:07 Moscow Time. Flight engineers of Expedition 43 to the ISS, Roscosmos cosmonauts Gennadi Padalka and Anton Shkaplerov will be monitoring the docking process from onboard the space station.

Progress M-27M logistics spacecraft became the second transportation spacecraft launched using Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle. Transition of the transportation spacecraft to a new series of launch vehicles Soyuz-2.1a began with the launch of logistics spacecraft Progress M-25M on October 29, 2014. In 2015-2016, logistics spacecraft will be launched by both Soyuz-U and Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicles. After that, there are plans to switch the manned launches to the new launch vehicles as well.

The logistics spacecraft of the new series Progress M-M developed and built by RSC Energia is an upgraded version of the Progress M spacecraft. It is equipped with new devices for the motion control and navigation system and an improved onboard measurement system. All the devices are built around state-of-the-art electronic components and run the latest software. The upgrade made it possible to reduce the mass of the onboard equipment and thus enhance the capability to deliver payload to orbit.

The spacecraft is designed to deliver to the International Space Station (ISS) dry cargo, propellant components, supplies of water and gas, to perform dynamic operations when attached to the space station using its own engines, as well as to evacuate waste and spent equipment from the station. Additional tasks of the spacecraft include conducting space experiments in free flight and flight developmental testing of onboard systems and their elements.

OAO RSC Energia is a leading enterprise of rocket-space industry, the prime organization for manned space systems. The Corporation is engaged in the development of automatic space - rocket systems (launch vehicles and interorbital transfer), high-tech special-purpose systems for use in non-space fields. Since August 2014, the Corporation is headed by Vladimir Lvovich Solntsev.