News
January 28, 2011. Baikonur launch site,
branch office of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
The launch of Progress M-09M cargo transport vehicle is performed from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 04:31:39 Moscow Time.
The launch objective is to provide further in-orbit operation of the International Space Station (ISS) in compliance with commitments of the Russian party with regard to the project.
The main objective of the mission is to deliver about 2.6 t of various cargoes onboard the Station, which are required to continue the ISS flight in the manned mode and provide the necessary conditions for the crewmembers life and work.
The vehicle has been injected into the reference near-earth orbit with the following parameters: inclination of 51.65 deg., minimum altitude of 193.4 km, maximum altitude of 254.6 km, revolution - 88.69 min.
The vehicle onboard systems operate in the design modes.
The vehicle prelaunch processing and launch at the Baikonur cosmodrome were accomplished under the direction of the State Commission (chaired by Roscosmos Head A.N. Perminov). The Commission adopted a decision to implement the vehicle prelaunch processing and launch phases based on the reports of the Technical Management headed by V.A. Lopota, S.P. Korolev RSC Energia President, General Designer.
According to the telemetry information and ISS-26 prime crew reports the station onboard systems operate in the design modes. The station is ready for docking with the vehicle.
The vehicle docking is scheduled to be performed on January 30, 2011 at 05:39 Moscow Time.
For reference:
- The fuel, water, oxygen, food reserves and the consumables margin, as well as the equipment for the USOS are delivered to orbit in the vehicle compartments.
- Currently the following cosmonauts and astronauts work in
the near-earth orbit under the ISS program: Russian cosmonauts
Alexander Kalery, Oleg
Skripochka, Dmitriy
Kondratiev and U.S. astronauts Scott
Kelly (the crew commander), Catherine
Coleman, ESA astronaut Paolo
Nespoli (Italy).
- The Progress M-09M vehicle is the 41-est Russian space cargo vehicle launched to the ISS in the scope of this project and the 9-th vehicle of a new series Progress M cargo transport vehicles with the improved flight-technical characteristics.