The Progress M-15M unmanned cargo spacecraft. Credit: NASA TV <\/p>\n
MOSCOW, July 31 (UPI) -- A Russian spacecraft has undocked from the International Space Station for a three-week scientific mission before it is buried in the Pacific, officials said. <\/p>\n
The Progress M-15M unmanned cargo spacecraft undocked early Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported. <\/p>\n
\"The undocking was carried out at 01.16 Moscow time,\" Russia's Mission Control said. \"The spacecraft will conduct a series of scientific experiments under the Radar-Progress project.\" <\/p>\n
That project is intended to study the impact of space engines on the Earth's ionosphere. <\/p>\n
\"After the project is completed the space freighter will be de-orbited and sunk in the Pacific,\" Mission Control announced. <\/p>\n
The freighter, which arrived at the ISS in April, undocked July 23 to test an upgraded Russian automated rendezvous system. <\/p>\n
The first attempt to re-dock with the ISS using the Kurs-NA system resulted in failure, but the spacecraft successfully docked on a second attempt July 29 after Russian engineers had reprogrammed the system. <\/p>\n
Russia is planning to launch its next space freighter, the Progress M-16M, from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Aug. 1 to deliver some 2 tons of food, water and fuel supplies to the ISS, RIA Novosti reported. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the original post here:<\/p>\n
Space freighter undocks from space station<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Progress M-15M unmanned cargo spacecraft. Credit: NASA TV MOSCOW, July 31 (UPI) -- A Russian spacecraft has undocked from the International Space Station for a three-week scientific mission before it is buried in the Pacific, officials said Continue reading