Cargo ship went into free-swimming – Kommersant

held yesterday the launch of space cargo ship “Progress M-27M” was Nonstandard: after separation from the third stage rocket “Soyuz-2.1a” specialists did not receive any information about the status of the truck, the six antennas of docking to the ISS revealed only two, and the “Progress” went into an uncontrollable spin. Remedy the situation yesterday did not happen. Today is expected to start work a special commission.

Launch vehicle “Soyuz-2.1a” together with the cargo ship “Progress M-27M” launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome N31 site at 10:09 Moscow time . It was assumed that six hours after the start of the space truck moored to the ISS, bringing six crew members of the expedition 43/44 more than 2.5 tons of cargo: food, fuel, oxygen, equipment for scientific experiments, as well as ribbons and a copy of the Banner of Victory. At first all went in the normal mode in the Mission Control Center (MCC) came regularly on the status of the flight up to secession “Progress” from the third stage of the rocket. But around 10:30 experts stopped receiving telemetry data on the state of the truck, even though the ship was in sight. Roscosmos decided not to risk it, and instead of a six-hour circuit switched connections on a two-day, hoping for this time to understand the problem.

They were just two. First, according to a senior source “b” in the Russian Space Agency, was non-synchronized operation of the engine of the third stage “Soyuz-2.1a” (it installed products Voronezh Design Bureau “Khimavtomatika” – RD-0110 and RD-0124), which spent a little longer Status: because of this “progress” has been placed in an incorrect orbit, but only close to it. According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the ship was launched into “short-lived” orbit – without its correction is likely his fall to Earth. Roscosmos these fears yesterday was not shared, nor suspend the operation of rockets “Soyuz-2.1a.” Note that the rocket “Soyuz”, produced in the Samara Space-Rocket Center “Progress”, considered to be one of the most reliable: it is through them delivered to the ISS manned crews. Last emergency situation with the “progress” occurred Aug. 11, 2011 – due to a failure in the engine of the third stage of the rocket “Soyuz-U”. It was the first time in more than 30 years of operation.

The second trouble is the fact that of the six antennas docking

system “Kurs-ON” opened only two: it does not allow the truck to stop at the station in automatic mode. “It is theoretically possible to try to join it in manual mode, but you need to install a stable relationship that do not yet possible because of the strong uncontrollable rotation” Progress “on its axis,” – says one of the interlocutors “b”. According to him, the next session experts will endeavor to carry out early this morning. Prior to that, the ship will be in sight of ground radio. In the space agency until dramatize the situation: yesterday Roscosmos spokesman Igor Bourenkov said that “solar panels” Progress “open”, and problems are solved – “just have to wait.” This launch is the first problem for Mr. Komarov as Head Space Agency. According to “Kommersant”, he had ordered the creation of a commission to investigate the causes of the incident, it will be formed today.

Failure with the conclusion of “Progress” will not affect the ISS crew. In MCC believe that they have an adequate supply of water, oxygen and food for the crew for two or three months, “Even if April’s” Progress “will not be able to dock, nothing critical not happen.” June 19, is scheduled to start the ISS American cargo ship Dragon, which is to deliver several tons of cargo.

Ivan Safronov