Roscosmos named the cause of the accident at the “progress” – BBC Russian

• 12 May 2015

Share

Start a new expedition to the ISS is transferred to the end of July

The head of the Russian Space Agency, Igor Komarov announced preliminary cause of the accident on the cargo ship “Progress M-27M”. The accident occurred due to the abnormal separation of the third stage of the carrier rocket “Soyuz 2.1a.” Roscosmos thus confirmed the previously announced assumption of experts.

“As a result of abnormal division of the ship was in orbit with a deviation of up to 20 kilometers,” – said Komarov.

The space truck “Progress” morning of May 8 was burned in the dense layers of the atmosphere over Pacific Ocean.

ISS crew will remain in orbit until

According to Komarov, due to the progress of emergency return to the ISS crew postponed even for a month. Now watch the station carries an international crew consisting of Russian Gennady Padalka, Mikhail Kornienko, Anton Shkaplerova, NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Terry miles, and European Space Agency astronaut Italians Samantha Kristoforetti.

On board the crashed “Progress” there were 2.5 tons of cargoes, including 500 kg of propellant, 420 kg of water, and oxygen tanks and equipment, and supplies – elements for toilets, electric power supply systems, water recycling, air conditioning and other.

However, even after the loss of “progress” at the ISS is still enough reserves to last until the arrival of the next cargo ship.

As told reporters the head of the flight of the Russian segment of the ISS, Vladimir Solovyov, due to an accident with ” Progress “launch a new expedition to the ISS postponed from May 26, as previously assumed, at the end of July. If the crew continues to train in Star City to a predefined plan.

The Commission to investigate the causes of the accident continues. The final report on the causes of the accident should be completed on May 22.

Flew only fragments

Carrier rocket “Soyuz” with the cargo ship “Progress” was launched with Baikonur on April 28. Because of the accident docking with the ISS had to be canceled. Experts have tried to take the “Progress” under control, but contact with the ship could not – he began the descent of uncontrolled orbit.

Early in the morning on May 7, “Progress” has ceased to exist, having entered the atmosphere over the central Pacific Ocean. Before the earth could reach only small fragments of the truck.

The spacecraft “Progress” is used to supply the Soviet, Russian and international space station for nearly 40 years. They have established themselves as a very reliable machine – in the history of operation since the end of the 1970s of the last century was lost only one machine.