The Russian government’s “Progress M” (English translation) spacecraft can now return cargo to Earth.
Russia’s Progress spacecraft versions have been, in the past, disposable vehicles designed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after completing their missions.
However, according to Wikipedia:
The Progress M is essentially the same spacecraft as the Progress, but it features improvements based on the Soyuz T and TM designs. It can spend up to 30 days in autonomous flight and is able to carry 100 kg more. Also, unlike the old Progress crafts, it can return items to Earth. This is accomplished by using the Raduga capsule, which can carry up to 150 kg of cargo. It is 1.5 m long and 60 cm in diameter and has a “dry mass” of 350 kg. Progress M can also dock to the forward port of the station and still transfer fuel. It uses the same rendezvous system as the Soyuz, and it features solar panels for the first time.
To read the rest of this detailed article, visit the source article here.
A bit more detail on the Progress 59 failure
Here is a description of the failure of the Progress to provide supplies to the International Space Station in April, 2015.
Doomed Russian Space Station Cargo Ship Will Fall Back to Earth Soon
by Calla Cofield, Space.com Staff Writer | April 29, 2015 10:26am ETAn ailing Russian cargo spacecraft is falling from space and will soon meet a fiery demise in Earth’s atmosphere after suffering a serious malfunction on Tuesday (April 28), a NASA astronaut said today.
The unmanned Progress 59 spacecraft is doomed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere in the next few days after failing to deliver more than 3 tons of supplies to the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly told reporters in a series of televised interviews. Video directly from Progress 59 has shown it to be tumbling in an out-of-control spin.
“We were both told recently by both the U.S. and Russian flight control centers that Roscosmos [Russia’s space agency] announced that the Progress will not be docking and will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere here some days in the future to be determined,” Kelly said from the station as he and crewmate Mikhail Kornienko answered questions.
Russia launched the Progress 59 cargo ship Tuesday atop a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch went smoothly, but shortly after the spacecraft separated from its rocket, Russian flight controllers had difficulty receiving telemetry data from the craft.
Later in the afternoon, NASA reported that the Russian flight controllers were unable to send commands to Progress 59, and that it was spinning uncontrollably. Repeated attempts to regain control of the automated spacecraft have been unsuccessful.
Source: See the full article here.
To see information about the successful launch of a Soyuz vehicle to the International Space Station on July 3, 2015, just days after the failure of the SpaceX mission, please visit the next page.
