Russian Spacecraft Undocks From The International Space Station On A Secret Mission

The Russian Progress MS-07 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) today the 28th March 2018 at 1350 UTC at the start of a month-long secret mission.

The Progress MS-07 was launched on the 14th October 2018 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and carried 1,382 Kilograms of supplies to the ISS.

After unloading, the Progress then became the waste disposal unit for the ISS with the crew packing it with disposable items and liquid waste. This is the normal procedure for these spacecraft as they provide a convenient way to remove waste and will burn up on reentry.

Although it is normal for a Progress spacecraft to remain in orbit for a while after undocking from the ISS this time is slightly different. The Russians, normally quite open about what the Progress spacecraft will do in their free flight period, have remained very tight lipped about this particular flight program.

To add to the mystery, an unusual package attached to the spacecraft's cargo module was spotted by NASA specialists. Their Russian colleagues only commented that the package was a one-time scientific payload.

Previous payloads released from a Progress spacecraft have been involved in atmospheric research possibly in relation to missile early warning satellites that use infrared sensors to detect missile launches.

This Progress will have a fiery death on the 26th April 2018 when its engines will be fired to bring it plunging into the earth's atmosphere.

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Sources

www.spaceflight101.com

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Author: @maninayton

Originally Published on STEEMNEWS.ONLINE