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One of the ISS supply freighters is hopelessly out of control - it started tumbling shortly after launch
Info from the Roscosmos facebook page:
Loss of control >> Progress cargo mission to Space Station in danger: The unpiloted Progress M-27M cargo resupply spacecraft packed with supplies for the International Space Station has encountered a serious issue in orbit that may prevent the craft from fulfilling its cargo delivery mission. Communications with the spacecraft deteriorated shortly after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday and the Progress suffered an apparent loss of control, beginning a wild tumbling motion.
Russian Mission Controllers are making attempts to restore commanding and re-gain control of the spacecraft, but only have limited time given the short-lived orbit of the spacecraft. A possible docking attempt that had been rescheduled for Thursday has been called off given the magnitude of problems present on the spacecraft.
"The spacecraft is currently very quickly and uncontrollably turning on its axis, one turn in just several seconds. The Mission Control Centre’s commands are not reaching the spacecraft and telemetric data are also transmitted erratically," the source said.
"The docking, originally planned for Aril 30, has been postponed indefinitely," he said.
Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said earlier on Tuesday that it was planned to switch the Progress spaceship flight from a six-hour to two-day scheme (the spacecraft was initially planned to dock to the ISS on Tuesday afternoon).
The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Progress resupply vehicle was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) on Tuesday morning. After that the spacecraft was failing to transmit telemetric data and also missed the target orbit. A Russian space industry source told TASS that the Progress spacecraft failed to deploy two antennas of the Kurs docking navigation system.
Another source said that the antenna failure might be caused by anything: "possibly, something has got there - causing a mechanical glitch, or the signal fails to pass somewhere through the circuit." He said the Kurs navigation system is used for the approach and docking to the ISS. "Antennas of this system transmit information about the distance to the station, attitude rates. Docking with the station is conducted in an automatic mode based on this information," the source said.
Source Space Flight101/MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS
And second post:
Any implications of the impending Progress failure can not be foreseen yet since it is unknown what caused the trouble with the vehicle in the first place, it is uncertain whether the spacecraft or the launch vehicle is to blame. Both share commonality with the systems that will be in use next month for the launch of Soyuz TMA-17M that will carry three crew members to ISS. Soyuz shares some commonality with the systems of the Progress, but a bigger problem may arise if the third stage of the Soyuz rocket can not be exonerated because the Block I is identical between the Soyuz U, FG and 2-1A vehicles that are currently carrying all Russian flights to ISS.
Third post
Mission Control Center near Moscow will make another attempt tonight to establish contact with the cargo spacecraft Progress M-27M and to use a remote control mode of operation in order to stop the spacecraft’s erratic rotation, a source in the space rocket industry has told TASS.
"Experts have now paused attempts to contact the spacecraft. The first communication session is due on Wednesday, at 03:50 Moscow time. It will last about 15-16 minutes. It is not ruled out specialists will use the teleoperated mode of control to stop spacecraft’s rotation, although the chances of success are few, because the direction of rotation remains unclear. As soon as it has been established, teleoperated mode of control will be employed," the source said.
TASS has no official confirmation yet.
Earlier, the close-up and docking navigation system Kurs and the onboard video camera were switched on.
MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS
Info from the Roscosmos facebook page:
Loss of control >> Progress cargo mission to Space Station in danger: The unpiloted Progress M-27M cargo resupply spacecraft packed with supplies for the International Space Station has encountered a serious issue in orbit that may prevent the craft from fulfilling its cargo delivery mission. Communications with the spacecraft deteriorated shortly after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday and the Progress suffered an apparent loss of control, beginning a wild tumbling motion.
Russian Mission Controllers are making attempts to restore commanding and re-gain control of the spacecraft, but only have limited time given the short-lived orbit of the spacecraft. A possible docking attempt that had been rescheduled for Thursday has been called off given the magnitude of problems present on the spacecraft.
"The spacecraft is currently very quickly and uncontrollably turning on its axis, one turn in just several seconds. The Mission Control Centre’s commands are not reaching the spacecraft and telemetric data are also transmitted erratically," the source said.
"The docking, originally planned for Aril 30, has been postponed indefinitely," he said.
Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said earlier on Tuesday that it was planned to switch the Progress spaceship flight from a six-hour to two-day scheme (the spacecraft was initially planned to dock to the ISS on Tuesday afternoon).
The Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Progress resupply vehicle was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome (Kazakhstan) on Tuesday morning. After that the spacecraft was failing to transmit telemetric data and also missed the target orbit. A Russian space industry source told TASS that the Progress spacecraft failed to deploy two antennas of the Kurs docking navigation system.
Another source said that the antenna failure might be caused by anything: "possibly, something has got there - causing a mechanical glitch, or the signal fails to pass somewhere through the circuit." He said the Kurs navigation system is used for the approach and docking to the ISS. "Antennas of this system transmit information about the distance to the station, attitude rates. Docking with the station is conducted in an automatic mode based on this information," the source said.
Source Space Flight101/MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS
And second post:
Any implications of the impending Progress failure can not be foreseen yet since it is unknown what caused the trouble with the vehicle in the first place, it is uncertain whether the spacecraft or the launch vehicle is to blame. Both share commonality with the systems that will be in use next month for the launch of Soyuz TMA-17M that will carry three crew members to ISS. Soyuz shares some commonality with the systems of the Progress, but a bigger problem may arise if the third stage of the Soyuz rocket can not be exonerated because the Block I is identical between the Soyuz U, FG and 2-1A vehicles that are currently carrying all Russian flights to ISS.
Third post
Mission Control Center near Moscow will make another attempt tonight to establish contact with the cargo spacecraft Progress M-27M and to use a remote control mode of operation in order to stop the spacecraft’s erratic rotation, a source in the space rocket industry has told TASS.
"Experts have now paused attempts to contact the spacecraft. The first communication session is due on Wednesday, at 03:50 Moscow time. It will last about 15-16 minutes. It is not ruled out specialists will use the teleoperated mode of control to stop spacecraft’s rotation, although the chances of success are few, because the direction of rotation remains unclear. As soon as it has been established, teleoperated mode of control will be employed," the source said.
TASS has no official confirmation yet.
Earlier, the close-up and docking navigation system Kurs and the onboard video camera were switched on.
MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS
