Progress MS-11

Progress MS-11

Progress MS-11 approaches the ISS
Names	Progress 72P
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	Roscosmos
COSPAR ID	2019-019A
SATCAT no.	44110
Mission duration	116 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Progress MS-11 n/s 441
Spacecraft type	Progress-MS
Manufacturer	Energia
Launch mass	7400 kg
Payload mass	3400 kg
Start of mission
Launch date	4 April 2019, 11:01:34 UTC
Rocket	Soyuz-2.1a (s/n Ya15000-036)
Launch site	Baikonur, Site 31/6
Contractor	RKTs Progress
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	29 July 2019
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.67°
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Pirs
Docking date	4 April 2019, 14:22:26 UTC
Undocking date	29 July 2019, 10:43 UTC
Time docked	116 days
Cargo
Mass	3400 kg
Pressurised	1400 kg
Fuel	900 kg
Gaseous	47 kg
Water	420 kg
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Progress MS-11 (Russian: Прогресс МC-11), identified by NASA as Progress 72P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was the 163rd 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 included the following improvements:

• New external compartment that enables it to deploy satellites. Each compartment can hold up to four launch containers. First 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.

Pre-launch

In 2014, the launch was scheduled for 16 April 2018. In November 2018, delays with the launch of the EgyptSat-A spacecraft meant that the launch was delayed to 28 March 2019, as reported by newspaper Kommersant. In January 2019, RIA Novosti reported that the launch had been pushed further back to 4 April 2019.

Launch

Progress MS-11 launched on 4 April 2019, at 11:01:34 UTC from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It used a Soyuz-2.1a rocket.

Docking

Progress MS-11 docked with the docking port of the Pirs module just 3 hours and 22 minutes after the launch, at 14:22:26 UTC.

Cargo

The Progress MS-11 spacecraft delivered 3,400 kg of cargo, with 1,400 kg of this being dry cargo. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:

• Dry cargo: 1,400 kg
• Fuel: 900 kg
• Compressed Air: 47 kg
• Water: 420 kg (Rodnik system)

Equipment for several life science experiments, including Bioplenka, Konstanta-2, Produtsent, Mikrovir, Struktura, Biodegradatsiya and Kristallizator. The spacecraft also carried the Faza vessel for growing water plants and the associated lighting system for the Ryaska educational experiment.

Undocking and re-entry

Progress MS-11 undocked from the ISS at 10:43 UTC on 29 July 2019. After deorbiting, it underwent atmospheric re-entry going through the atmosphere, and its debris splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on the same day.

See also

• Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

References