Progress MS-09

Progress MS-09

Progress MS-09 docked at the ISS on 4 October 2018
Names	Progress 70P
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	Roscosmos
COSPAR ID	2018-058A[1]
SATCAT no.	43537
Mission duration	200 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Progress MS-09 s/n 439
Spacecraft type	Progress-MS
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Launch mass	7281 kg
Payload mass	2450 kg
Start of mission
Launch date	9 July 2018, 21:51:34 UTC[2]
Rocket	Soyuz-2.1a s/n N15000-033
Launch site	Baikonur, Site 31/6
Contractor	Progress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	25 January 2019
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.67°
Epoch	9 July 2018
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Pirs nadir
Docking date	10 July 2018, 01:31:33 UTC
Undocking date	25 January 2019, 12:55 UTC
Time docked	199 days
Cargo
Mass	2450 kg
Pressurised	1230 kg
Fuel	705 kg
Gaseous	50 kg
Water	420 kg
Progress ISS Resupply ← Progress MS-08 Progress MS-10 →

Progress MS-09 (Russian: Прогресс МC-09), identified by NASA as Progress 70P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was the 161st flight of a Progress spacecraft.

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 Ukrainian 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

Progress MS-09 launched on 9 July 2018 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It used a Soyuz-2.1a rocket.^[6] NASA confirmed on 28 June 2018 that if Progress MS-09 launches on 9 July 2018, the mission succeeded a super fast-tracked rendezvous with the Station, docking to the ISS just 3 hours (2 orbits) after launch - making it the fastest orbital rendezvous ever-attempted with the International Space Station.^[7]

Docking

Progress MS-09 docked as scheduled with the nadir docking port of the Pirs module on 10 July 2018 at 01:31 UTC.

The new version features the upgraded Kurs-NA rendezvous system, featuring the AO-753A antenna replaced the earlier 2AO-VKA antenna and three AKR-VKA antennas, while two older 2ASF-M-VKA antennas are retained. Kurs-NA will increase the reliability and safety during docking operations. The new SUD flight control system allows for autonomous trajectory measurements using the GLONASS (Uragan) navigation satellites. The communications system is also upgraded to use the Luch-5 data relay satellites. Also improvements were made to the micrometeoroid protection, the lighting system and the docking port.^[4]

Cargo

The Progress MS-09 spacecraft delivered 2,450 kg of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:^[4][2]

• Dry cargo: 1,275 kg
• Fuel: 705 kg
• Oxygen and Air: 50 kg
• Water: 420 kg

Cubesats

Beginning with the Progress MS-03, the Progress can optionally carry four CubeSat deployers for a total of 24 CubeSat-units.^[4]

Undocking and decay

Undocking occurred on 25 January 2019, at 12:55 UTC. Later that day, the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere and its debris fell into the Pacific Ocean.

References