Progress (spacecraft)
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| Description | |
| Role: | Used to supply the International Space Station, originally used to supply Soviet and Russian space stations (see Mir) |
| Crew: | 0 |
| Dimensions | |
| Height: | 7.23 m (23.72 ft) |
| Diameter: | 2.72 m (8.92 ft) |
| Volume: | 7.6 m3 (268 ft3) |
| Payload: | 2,400 kg (5,300 lb ) |
| Return Payload: | None |
| Performance | |
| Endurance: | 6 months docked to station |
The Progress (Russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver supplies needed to sustain human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew it can be boarded by astronauts when docked with a space station, hence it being classified as manned by its manufacturer. Progress is derived from the manned Soyuz spacecraft and launches on the same vehicle, a Soyuz rocket.
Progress has supported space stations as early as Salyut 6 and as recently as the International Space Station. Each year there are between three and four Progress flights to the ISS. A Progress remains docked until shortly before being replaced with a new one or a Soyuz (which will use the same docking port). Then it is filled with waste, disconnected, and de-orbited, at which point it burns up in the atmosphere. Due to the variation in Progress vehicles flown to the ISS, NASA uses its own nomenclature where "ISS 1P" means the first Progress spacecraft to ISS.
Progress was developed because of the need for a constant source of supplies to make long duration space missions possible. It was determined that cosmonauts needed an inflow of consumables (food, water, air, etc.), plus there was a need for maintenance items and scientific payloads that necessitated a dedicated cargo carrier. Such payloads were impractical to launch with passengers in the restricted space of a Soyuz. As of December 1, 2016 there have been 155 Progress flights with three failures. All three failures have occurred since 2011.
Progress is of much the same size and shape as Soyuz. It consists of three modules:
Reduction in mass was possible because the Progress was designed to be unmanned and disposable. This means that there is no need for bulky life support systems and heat shields. A small amount of weight is saved due to the lack of automatic rescue crews system and lack of parachutes. The spacecraft also has no ability to split into separate modules. After undocking, the spacecraft performs a retrofire and burns up in the atmosphere.
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