In the Wake of the Antares/Orb-3 Disaster, Roscosmos Poised to Keep Supplies Coming
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In the wee hours of tomorrow, specifically at 12:09am, Roscosmos will launch a Progress resupply craft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The mission is designated M-25M, and will ride into orbit on a 6-hour fast track trajectory to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz 2.1a rocket. This will be Progress’ first ride atop a Soyuz 2, a 21st century upgraded edition of the venerable launch vehicle, which replaces Soviet-era analogue control systems for digital ones. Soyuz 2 comes in 3 flavors: 2.1a, which is primarily used for Low Earth Orbit missions, 2.1b with an upgraded upper stage engine which is frequently used for launches to geosynchronous orbit, and 2.1v, a light-class launcher without strap-on boosters and a dramatically redesigned core stage.
A Russian Progress resupply craft in orbit. Credit: NASA
This will be the 57th Progress vehicle launched in support of the International Space Station, and the 25th since a major upgrade of its avionics systems. Progress was originally designed to support the Soviet Union’s Salyut space stations, and has continued to retain its crucial role in space station resupply through the Mir and now International Space Station programs. Since its inception, progress rode to orbit aboard the Soyuz-U rocket, a family which is showing signs of further phase-out now that Progress has got a new ride. A descendant of the Soyuz-U, the Soyuz-FG, currently launches cosmonauts and astronauts to the ISS, but Roscosmos has stated the goal of moving all crewed launches to the Soyuz 2 rocket by 2016.
The launch follows closely on the heels of the regrettable loss of an American cargo vehicle, the Cygnus Orb-3 mission, designated the SS Deke Slayton. Orb-3’s launch vehicle, the Antares 130 rocket, suffered a catastrophic failure just seconds after takeoff. The entire stack then succumbed to the overwhelming force of the Earth’s gravity and came crashing back onto (or was purposefully destroyed right above) its launch pad. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the explosion, and Orbital Sciences officials have stated they are containing the resulting fire and will launch a full investigation into the mishap tomorrow. There is no worry about crew provisions, as the ISS keeps about 4 months of cargo on hand, and there are plenty of visiting vehicles, including tonight’s Progress, scheduled to visit the station until Antares/Cygnus is ready to fly again. When that will be is currently unclear. Cygnus’ Orb-4 mission was originally scheduled for next April, but Orbital has said they will not be able to provide a firm return to flight date until the pending investigation into the anomaly and damage to launch assets is completed.
All that withstanding, NASA will continue to provide coverage of Russia’s resupply mission tonight on NASA TV. As we are reminded of how difficult spaceflight truly is, we wish Godspeed to Progress tonight.