Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Russian cargo ship Progress MS-17 successfully launches to space station

Russia has successfully launched the Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), the Russian space agency Roscosmos reported.

The cargo ship was launched aboard a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from the Roscosmos’ Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in a mission dubbed Progress 78 by NASA. After lifting off to space, the spacecraft will spend two days in orbit before docking with the space station.

The Progress MS-17 spacecraft will deliver about 2,439 kg (5,377 lb) of cargo to the ISS, with 1,509 kg (3,327 lb) of this being dry cargo. There is 470 kg of refueling fuel, 420 liters of potable water in the Rodnik system tanks, 40 kg of air and oxygen in cylinders, in addition to 1,509 kg of miscellaneous equipment and materials, including resource equipment and maintenance facilities for on-board systems, packaging for space experiments, medical controls, etc.

Progress MS-17 will automatically dock to the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) of ISS on 2 July 2021, where it is expected to remain until late 2021.