Roscosmos expects Commission investigating Progress accident cause to complete works by May 22. The period of investigation was increased from May 12 to May 22, by May 22 Commission will present final conclusion, – Federal Space Agency representative reported.
Soyuz-2.1a modernized booster with Progress M-27M cargo vehicle was launched from Baikonur spaceport on April 28. The vehicle separated from the booster’s 3rd stage off-nominally and entered unscheduled orbit spinning. Docking with the ISS was cancelled. All afferts to take control over the vehicle were a failure: it started uncontrolled descent. At 05.04 Moscow time, May 08, Friday, it ceased to exist sinking in the central part of the Pacific Ocean.
Commission will complete works by May 22, Manned Complex Flight Tests State Commission Head Alexander Ivanov reported on May 12.
The specialists accomplish works on the premises of aerospace industry enterprises. To find out the cause deep calculation and theoretical researches, additional simulation and a series of experiments are to be conducted. At the present time the specialists accomplish ground experiments to find out what on Earth could cause depressurization of oxidizer tank and further depressurization of Soyuz-2.1a 3rd stage fuel tank depressurization, – the spokesman reported.
He reminded that on the whole Progress M-27M separation from the booster took place nominally until the separation from the 3rd stage of Soyuz-2.1a. At 526 second of the flight off-nominal separation took place resulting in the fact that the vehicle entered the orbit 40 km higher, and the 3rd stage – the orbit 20 km lower the scheduled trajectory.
