December 2, 2016

Progress MS-04 cargo vehicle launched to the ISS on December 01, 2016, at 17:51:52, Moscow time, burst at the altitude of 190 km above desolate mountain area in Tuva region. Most parts of the spacecraft burned in dense atmosphere.
The vehicle was to deliver to the ISS more than 2,5 tons of cargoes including propellant components, water, pressurized gas, Lada-2 space greenhouse designated to be used for growing sweet pepper onboard, Orlan-MKS modified spacecraft equipped with automated thermal control system that would enable cosmonauts not to spend time on turning heating system on and off manually and new year parcels for ISS-50 crew members.
First minutes of flight after the launch all systems including 1st and 2nd stages operated nominally. When 3rd stage was ignited MCC specialists started having problems with telemetry. According to preliminary data 3rd stage engine could have been ignited ahead of time. The specialists failed to obtain precise info so far.
According to Roscosmos telemetry was lost at 383 second of the flight.
At the same time they received data on navigation system antenna deployment. Solar arrays also started deploying but it is not clear whether the deployed to the full extent.
Soyuz-U that was planned to orbit next Progress will be thoroughly checked by the specialists and the launch will be shifted to an uncertain date until the investigation board finishes its work. There is also a strong possibility that because of Progress MS-04 crash next vehicle Progress MS-05 will be launched ahead of initial schedule.

More from this category:
April 10, 2015

On April 10, 2015, in the integration building of #31 launchpad Progress rocket and space Centre and Yuzhny space centre specialists started preparing Soyuz-2.1a booster…

full story
November 26, 2014

Works for the next manned launch planned for March 27 started at Baikonur spaceport, – Roscosmos reports. By launching Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft from Baikonur on…

full story
September 22, 2019

At the technical complex of the Baikonur cosmodrome the assembly of the head part was successfully completed. On September 21, 2019 specialists from the Russian…

full story
August 10, 2015

Russian ISS crew members Gennady padalka and Mikhail Korniyenko are going will open the hatch of Pirs docking compartment today at 17.14, Moscow time. As…

full story
April 16, 2013

Rosatom and Kurchatov Institute are working to create new generation nuclear reactor of megawatt class, so called “thermo-nuclear batteries”, – Rosatom Head Sergey Kiriyenko told…

full story
May 14, 2015

Sarah Brightman’s refusal to go the International Space Station in September 2015 won’t affect the dates of the launch, – spokesman for space industry reported…

full story
September 11, 2013

The launch of “Nauka” multifunctional laboratory module to the ISS planned for late 2013 will be shifted to the first half of 2014, – Vladimir…

full story
April 15, 2022

Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemiev and Denis Matveev are continuing preparations for the first spacewalk during their stay in space. The 52nd planned spacewalk (EVA-52) is…

full story