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Tomasz Nowakowski
November 15, 2018
The Progress MS-10 spacecraft in preparation for launch. Photo credit: RKK Energia.
On November 16, 2018, Russia's Soyuz-FG is expected to resume flying with the launch of the MS-10 Progress Freight Replenishment Mission at the International Space Station (ISS).
The launch of the rocket comes a little over a month after the rescue crew failed to transport the crew aboard the Soyuz MS-10 to the orbital outpost. The October 11 th flight ended with a launch abandonment when one of the rocket boosters failed to separate properly. A Russian state commission discovered that a faulty sensor was responsible for the accident.
Some feared that last month's failure would jeopardize Soyuz's subsequent launches. However, the Russian orbital flight program has undergone only minor modifications. The Progress MS-10 mission, originally scheduled for February 22, has been postponed several times before the accident and finally set for October 31st.
The Soyuz-FG with Progress MS-10 is deployed on the launch pad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: Roscosmos
The decision to postpone the Progress MS-10 mission due to the failure of the orbital launch of Soyuz-FG was announced on October 30th by Sergei Krikalyov, Executive Director of Roscosmos for Personnel Programs. He added that more time was needed for a thorough review and maintenance of the Soyuz-FG launcher. He also added that three unmanned launches would be launched first.
As a result, since the accident, the Russian armed forces have carried out two Soyuz 2.1b launches on 25 October and 3 November. In addition, a Soyuz launcher in the ST-B variant was used by Arianespace to broadcast Metop-C's European weather conditions. satellite in space on November 6. All three launches went off without a hitch and no problem with any part of the Soyuz booster amplifier was identified.
Preparations for the launch of the Progress MS-10 project are well underway at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where a Soyuz-FG rocket is due to take off at 1:14 pm. EST (18:14 GMT) on November 16th.
The probe passed critical tests at the beginning of November and the Baikonur technical department decided to give the go-ahead for its filling with propellants and compressed gases. These operations were completed from November 6 to 7 and the cargo vehicle was then ready for final processing operations.
Progress MS-10 was integrated into a ring adapter on November 10th. Two days later, the crews completed a final inspection of the vessel and encapsulated it in a payload fairing. The integrated payload stack was then ready for installation on the launcher, which took place on November 13th. The fully assembled Soyuz-FG was ready for deployment on the launch pad on 14 November.
After takeoff on Friday, the Soyuz-FG rocket should make a short vertical ascent and fly a relatively short flight into orbit lasting about nine minutes. If the journey in space goes as planned, the Progress MS-10 will begin a two-day hike to the space station. It is expected to dock the ISS Zvezda service module at approximately 2:29 am EST on November 18. The automatic docking will be monitored by cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev, arrived at the ISS on 8 June 2018 aboard the Soyuz MS-09. spatialship.
Progress MS-10 is expected to deliver approximately 2.5 tonnes of cargo to ISS. In addition to fuel, food, clothing and medical supplies, it also carries personal hygiene items as well as water and compressed gases.
The Soyuz-FG rocket with Progress MS-10 stands vertically at the base in Baikonur. Photo credit: Roscosmos
Progress MS, manufactured by RKK Energia, is an improved variant of the Progress automated cargo spacecraft that has been used to transport supplies to the space station. It is similar in size, mass, and load capacity to the modified Progress M previously used in this role.
The MS variant has a series of upgrades. Improvements include the addition of an external compartment that allows the deployment of small satellites, the addition of a backup system of electric motors for the berthing and sealing mechanism , and additional panels in the luggage compartment that enhance protection against micrometeorides.
The new version also features a number of upgrades regarding telemetry and navigation systems, as well as a new digital communication system that improves the viewing of television cameras during operations. 39; docking.
The first Progress MS spacecraft was launched in space on December 21, 2015 by a Soyuz 2.1a rocket.
The Soyuz-FG recall, which will be used for Friday's launch, is approximately 49 feet (49.5 meters) in height and weighs approximately 305 metric tonnes on takeoff. The rocket is capable of carrying more than seven metric tons in low Earth orbit (LEO). It is a three-stage launcher that uses a main stage, powered by an RD-108A engine, that burns throughout the first and second stages of flight. The first stage consists of the main stage and four strap boosters.
These four liquid fuel booster relays, each equipped with an RD-107A engine, provide additional lift during the initial phase of flight. Before take-off, the four thrusters are lit to reach their maximum thrust and are dropped once their fuel tanks are empty.
Soyuz-FG debuted on May 20, 2001, when he took off with the charge craft Progress M1-6 for ISS. To date, the recall has been launched 65 times and only his last flight failed.
Friday's mission will mark the 15th orbital flight for Russia and the fourth Soyuz-FG launch in 2018. The next orbital launch of the country is currently scheduled for December 3, when Soyuz-FG is scheduled to be re-launched. employed for a mission at ISS. this time by sending three people to the lab in orbit.
Video provided by Roscosmos
Tagged: International Space Station of the Baikonur Cosmodrome World Stories: Progress MS-10 Roscosmos Soyuz-FG
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Tomasz Nowakowski
Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the first blogs devoted to astronomy and science on the Internet. Nowakowski contacted SpaceFlight Insider to collaborate on the two space-related websites. The generous offer of Nowakowski has been gratefully received and the two organizations are now working to better relay important developments in space exploration.
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