The Russian space cargo ship Progress, which is supposed to deliver fuel and food to the International Space Station (ISS), is in danger due to difficulties with data transmission, the Russian authorities announced on Tuesday, who nevertheless hope that the ship will dock at the ISS in two days.
Progress carries scientific equipment and basic necessities, such as water and food, but its eventual loss would not endanger the ISS crew members who have a supply for several months.
"The ship entered the trajectory, but the telemetry data is not fully transmitted," a spokesman for the Russian control center told AFP.
This is why the Russian flight controllers decided to change the ship's flight plan, the same source adds.
The PR service of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, confirmed to Russian news agencies that Progres is having difficulties with data transmission. The Russian news agency Tas, citing a source in the space industry, states that the Progress M-27M cargo ship, which was launched by a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday morning, did not enter the planned orbit due to a launcher failure.
The Russian control center announced that the cargo ship would dock with the ISS on April 30, although the flight was only supposed to last six hours.
The American space agency (NASA) confirmed that the connection with the ship was broken and that the reason for the late docking with the ISS was "repair of the communication system" with the ISS.
The NASA announcement states that a new attempt to establish a connection with Progres is planned for Wednesday at 2.50:XNUMX a.m. CET.
"The Russian and American parts of the station are still operating normally and have enough supplies to be able to function long after the arrival of the next cargo ship in June," the agency added.
In 2011, a Soyuz rocket carrying a similar cargo ship malfunctioned and crashed in Altai (Mongolia-China border) shortly after liftoff. Three to four Progress cargo ships are launched every year, carrying equipment and food necessary for the life of the ISS. After their mission, they return and burn up in the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean, reports Hina.
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