Progress MS-11 (), identified by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

as Progress 72P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the

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

(ISS). This was the 163rd flight of a Progress spacecraft.

History

The Progress-MS 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 Progress MS-03 (), identified by NASA as Progress 64P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). It was the first Progress MS to have an external compartment for releasing satellites. ...

. * Enhanced redundancy thanks to the addition of a backup system of electrical motors for the docking and sealing mechanism. * Improved

Micrometeoroid A micrometeoroid is a tiny meteoroid: a small particle of rock in space, usually weighing less than a gram. A micrometeorite is such a particle that survives passage through Earth's atmosphere and reaches Earth's surface. The term "micrometeor ...

(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 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.

Pre-launch

In 2014, the launch was scheduled for 16 April 2018. In November 2018, delays with the launch of the EgyptSat-A spacecraft and required the launch to 28 March 2019, the Kommersant newspaper reported. In January 2019, RIA Novosti reported that the launch had been pushed to 4 April 2019.

Launch

Progress MS-11 launched on 4 April 2019, at 11:01:34 UTC 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 ...

. It used a Soyuz-2.1a rocket.

Docking

Progress MS-11 docked with the docking port of the Pirs module just 3 hours and 22 minutes after the launch, at 14:22:26 UTC.

Cargo

The Progress MS-11 spacecraft delivered 3,400 kg of cargo, with 1,400 kg of this being dry cargo. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS: * Dry cargo: 1,400 kg * Fuel: 900 kg * Compressed Air: 47 kg * Water: 420 kg (Rodnik system) Equipment for several life science experiments, including Bioplenka, Konstanta-2, Produtsent, Mikrovir, Struktura, Biodegradatsiya and Kristallizator. The spacecraft also carried the Faza vessel for growing water plants and the associated lighting system for the Ryaska educational experiment.

Undocking and decay

It undocked at 10:43 UTC, on 29 July 2019. And decay in the atmosphere and its debris entered the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

, on the same day.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2019 Progress (spacecraft) missions Spacecraft launched in 2019 2019 in Russia Supply vehicles for the International Space Station Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-2 rockets Spacecraft which reentered in 2019