Progress MS-15

Progress MS-15 (Russian: Прогресс МC-15), Russian production No. 444, identified by NASA as Progress 76P, is a Progress spacecraft launched by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This is the 167th flight of a Progress spacecraft.[4]

Progress MS-15
Docking of Progress 76P
NamesProgress 76P
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2020-050A
SATCAT no.45937
Mission duration197 days, 6 hours, 20 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftProgress MS-15
Spacecraft typeProgress-MS
ManufacturerEnergia
Launch mass7000 kg
Payload mass2540 kg
Start of mission
Launch date23 July 2020, 14:26:21 UTC [1][2][3]
RocketSoyuz-2.1a
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31
ContractorProgress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited (planned)
Decay dateFebruary 2021 (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.65°
Docking with ISS
Docking portPirs nadir
Docking date23 July 2020
Undocking date9 February 2021, 05:21 UTC (planned)
Time docked197 days, 3 hours, 2 minutes
Cargo
Mass2540 kg
Pressurised2540 kg
Fuel620 kg
Gaseous46 kg (oxygen)
Water420 kg
Progress ISS Resupply
 

History

The Progress-MS is a uncrewed freighter based on the Progress-M featuring improved avionics. This improved variant first launched on 21 December 2015. It has the following improvements:[4][5][6]

  • New external compartment that enables it to deploy satellites. Each compartment can hold up to four launch containers. First time installed on Progress MS-03.
  • Enhanced redundancy thanks to the addition of a backup system of electrical motors for the docking and sealing mechanism.
  • Improved Micrometeoroid (MMOD) protection with additional panels in the cargo compartment.
  • Luch Russian relay satellites link capabilities enable telemetry and control even when not in direct view of ground radio stations.
  • GNSS autonomous navigation enables real time determination of the status vector and orbital parameters dispensing with the need of ground station orbit determination.
  • Real time relative navigation thanks to direct radio data exchange capabilities with the space station.
  • New digital radio that enables enhanced TV camera view for the docking operations.
  • The Ukrainian Chezara Kvant-V on board radio system and antenna/feeder system has been replaced with a Unified Command Telemetry System (UCTS).
  • Replacement of the Kurs A with Kurs NA digital system.

Launch

A Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle was used to launch Progress MS-15 to the International Space Station.

Progress MS-15 was launched at 14:26:21 UTC from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31 on a fast-track trajectory. Following a nominal launch, Progress MS-15 docked with the Pirs port on the ISS two orbits later at 17:45:00 UTC.[3][7]

Docking

Around 3 hours 20 minutes after the launch, Progress MS-15 successfully docked automatically at the nadir port of the Pirs module at 17:45:00 UTC, where it is expected to remain until April 2021.[3][7][8] After its mission is complete, it will depart and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere for destruction over the South Pacific Ocean.

Cargo

The Progress MS-15 spacecraft delivered 2,540 kg (5,600 lb) of cargo, with 1,430 kg (3,150 lb) of this being dry cargo. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:[1]

  • Dry cargo: 1,430 kg (3,150 lb)
  • Fuel: 620 kg (1,370 lb)
  • Oxygen: 46 kg (101 lb)
  • Water: 420 kg (930 lb)

Undocking and decay

The Progress MS-15 is scheduled to remain docked at the station through February 2021, when it will depart with trash and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere for destruction over the South Pacific Ocean.[9][10] The Pirs module, originally scheduled to be removed and discarded at the end of this mission, will stay attached to the station until the arrival of the Nauka module.

See also

References
  1. "Progress MS-15 cargo spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome". Roscosmos. 23 July 2020.
  2. "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  3. Navin, Joseph; Gebhardt, Chris (23 July 2020). "Progress MS-15 arrives at Station with eventful automated docking". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. Krebs, Gunter (1 December 2015). "Progress-MS 01-19". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  5. "Progress MS-15 2020-050A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. Zak, Anatoly. "Progress-MS". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  7. Clark, Stephen (23 July 2020). "Progress supply ship docks with space station after last-minute misalignment". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  8. Zak, Anatoly (23 July 2020). "Progress MS-15 arrives at ISS". Russian Space Web.
  9. Zak, Anatoly (22 March 2017). "Integrating the MLM Nauka with ISS". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  10. Atkinson, Ian (19 August 2020). "Russia's Nauka Arrives Baikonur for final launch preparations". NASASpaceflight.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
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