Progress MS-07 (), identified by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

as Progress 68P, was a

Progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension w ...

spaceflight, operated by

Roscosmos The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...

to resupply the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...

(ISS).

History

The

Progress-MS The Progress (russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked t ...

is an uncrewed freighter based on the

Progress-M Progress-M (russian: Прогресс-М, GRAU indices 11F615A55 and 11F615A60), also known as Progress 7K-TGM, is a Russian, previously Soviet spacecraft which is used to resupply space stations. It is a variant of the Progress spacecraft, or ...

featuring improved avionics. This improved variant first launched on 21 December 2015. It has the following improvements: * New external compartment that enables it to deploy satellites. Each compartment can hold up to four launch containers. First time installed on Progress MS-03. * Enhanced redundancy thanks to the addition of a backup system of electrical motors for the docking and sealing mechanism. * Improved Micrometeoroid (MMOD) protection with additional panels in the cargo compartment. * Luch Russian relay satellites link capabilities enable telemetry and control even when not in direct view of ground radio stations. *

GNSS A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...

autonomous navigation enables real time determination of the status vector and orbital parameters dispensing with the need of ground station orbit determination. * Real time relative navigation thanks to direct radio data exchange capabilities with the space station. * New digital radio that enables enhanced TV camera view for the docking operations. * The

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

Chezara Kvant-V on board radio system and antenna/feeder system has been replaced with a Unified Command Telemetry System (UCTS). * Replacement of the Kurs A with Kurs NA digital system.

Launch

After a two-day delay, the Progress MS-07 lifted off on 14 October 2017, at 08:46:53 UTC. The spacecraft docked at the station on 16 October 2017, at 11:04:07 UTC. Progress MS-07 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, atop a

Soyuz-2.1a Soyuz-2 ( GRAU index 14A14) is a modernized version of the Soviet Soyuz rocket. In its basic form, it is a three-stage launch vehicle for placing payloads into low Earth orbit. Compared to the previous versions of the Soyuz, the first-stag ...

rocket.

Docking

Progress MS-07 was docked with the aft docking port of the Pirs module. This Progress flight was intended to mark the debut of the new two-orbit rendezvous profile which was not possible when the original launch date had to be scrubbed.

Cargo

The Progress MS-07 spacecraft delivered 2,549 kg of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station for the six-person crew. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS: * Dry cargo: 1,382 kg * Fuel: 700 kg (for Zvezda service module) * Oxygen: 23 kg * Air: 24 kg * Water: 420 kg

Spacewalk

Once the Progress arrived at the station, Expedition 53 commander

Randolph Bresnik Randolph James "Komrade" Bresnik (born September 11, 1967) is a retired officer in the United States Marine Corps and an active NASA astronaut. A Marine Aviator by trade, Bresnik was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 19 in May 2004. ...

and flight engineer

Joseph M. Acaba Joseph Michael "Joe" Acabá (born May 17, 1967) is a Puerto Rican educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as a ...

prepared for a spacewalk, on 20 October 2017, to accomplish a variety of maintenance tasks outside the complex. This included the replacement of a fuse on the station's Canadian-built

Dextre Dextre, also known as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), is a two armed robot, or telemanipulator, which is part of the Mobile Servicing System on the International Space Station (ISS), and does repairs that would otherwise r ...

robot, replacing an external camera and light fixture, and removing thermal insulation from two spare units to prepare them for future relocation.

Undocking and decay

Progress MS-07 undocked from the Pirs on 28 March 2018, at 13:50:30 UTC. The vehicle continued with experiments until 26 April 2018.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2017 Progress (spacecraft) missions Spacecraft launched in 2017 2017 in Russia Supply vehicles for the International Space Station Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-2 rockets Spacecraft which reentered in 2018