Progress M-23M cargo vehicle launch to the ISS was scheduled for April 9. The vehicle will be launched from Baikonur spaceport, – Roscosmos reports.
The vehicle will deliver about 2,5 tons of cargo to the station including propellant components, equipment for station’s upgrade, foodstuffs, water and air for cosmonauts, scientific equipment for the experiments, etc.
Spaceport specialists filled the vehicle with propellant components and pressurized gas at the filling station. Then the vehicle returned to the integration building of 254th site for further pre-launch preparations.
On April 1 RSC Energia and Yuzhny space centre specialists accomplished final operations on Progress M-23M cargo vehicle before head assembling.
Upon completion of these operations the vehicle will be docked with adaptor module between cargo vehicle and booster. Then Design bureau specialists will check Progress vehicle and install nose fairing. Pre-launch preparation works are to be completed by the end of the week. After that the head consisting of Progress M-23M and nose fairing will be transported to the integration building of Baikonur site 112 for the docking with Soyuz-U booster, – Roscosmos press office reports.
Image credit – RSC Energia
