Engineering:Progress MS-07

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Short description: 2017 Russian resupply spaceflight to the ISS
Progress MS-07
Progress MS-07.jpg
Progress MS-07 docking with the ISS on 16 October 2017
NamesProgress 68P
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2017-065A
SATCAT no.42971
Mission duration194 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftProgress MS-07 s/n 437
Spacecraft typeProgress-MS
ManufacturerRKK Energia
Launch mass7428 kg
Payload mass2549 kg
Start of mission
Launch date14 October 2017,
08:46:53 UTC[1]
RocketSoyuz-2.1a s/n U15000-029
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31/6
ContractorProgress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date26 April 2018
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.67°
Docking with ISS
Docking portPirs
Docking date16 October 2017, 11:04:07 UTC
Undocking date28 March 2018, 13:50:30 UTC [2]
Time docked163 days
Cargo
Mass2549 kg
Pressurised1382 kg
Fuel700 kg
Gaseous47 kg
Water420 kg
Progress ISS Resupply
 

Progress MS-07 (Russian: Прогресс МC-07), identified by NASA as Progress 68P, was a Progress spaceflight, operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS).

History

The Progress-MS is an uncrewed freighter based on the Progress-M featuring improved avionics. This improved variant first launched on 21 December 2015. It has the following improvements:[3][4][5]

  • 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 Ukraine 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

After a two-day delay, the Progress MS-07 lifted off on 14 October 2017, at 08:46:53 UTC. The spacecraft docked at the station on 16 October 2017, at 11:04:07 UTC. Progress MS-07 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket.[1]

Docking

Progress MS-07 was docked with the aft docking port of the Pirs module. This Progress flight was intended to mark the debut of the new two-orbit rendezvous profile which was not possible when the original launch date had to be scrubbed.[6]

Cargo

The Progress MS-07 spacecraft delivered 2,549 kg of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station for the six-person crew. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:[4][6]

  • Dry cargo: 1,382 kg
  • Fuel: 700 kg (for Zvezda service module)
  • Oxygen: 23 kg
  • Air: 24 kg
  • Water: 420 kg

Spacewalk

Once the Progress arrived at the station, Expedition 53 commander Randolph Bresnik and flight engineer Joseph M. Acaba prepared for a spacewalk, on 20 October 2017, to accomplish a variety of maintenance tasks outside the complex. This included the replacement of a fuse on the station's Canadian-built Dextre robot, replacing an external camera and light fixture, and removing thermal insulation from two spare units to prepare them for future relocation.[4]

Undocking and decay

Progress MS-07 undocked from the Pirs on 28 March 2018, at 13:50:30 UTC. The vehicle continued with experiments until 26 April 2018.[6]

References