Russia successfully launches new Progress freighter to ISS
Russia today successfully placed a new Progress freighter into orbit, its Soyuz-2 rocket lifting off from Kazakhstan.
The freighter will dock with ISS on March 2, 2025, docking with the aft port of the Zvezda module, the core module of the Russian half of the station. I guarantee that during that docking the hatch will be closed between the American and Russian segments, as that is now NASA’s policy because of its concern about the stress fractures in Zvezda.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
25 SpaceX
9 China
2 Rocket Lab
2 Russia
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Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Russia today successfully placed a new Progress freighter into orbit, its Soyuz-2 rocket lifting off from Kazakhstan.
The freighter will dock with ISS on March 2, 2025, docking with the aft port of the Zvezda module, the core module of the Russian half of the station. I guarantee that during that docking the hatch will be closed between the American and Russian segments, as that is now NASA’s policy because of its concern about the stress fractures in Zvezda.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
25 SpaceX
9 China
2 Rocket Lab
2 Russia
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Interesting that they are actually using the aft port. I guess they need to refuel the station for reboost. That is the only port with the plumbing to refuel I believe.
I bet that the hatch between the core Zvezda and the docking module will be closed, and the crew will be in their Soyuz for the docking as well. Just in case.
This was so frustrating. Not a single article I read, bemoaning Musk’s tweet about ending the ISS mentioned the leaks, which is the primary reason to end it sooner. Kind of a critical detail. End it before they all die, usually is a reasonable discussion point.
However malign a force Russia might be in current affairs, it’s still melancholy to see how far their space sector has fallen, not just from its Soviet peak, but even from the period of post-Yeltsin recovery in the 00’s and early 10’s. The Soviet peak was 100+ launches per year. Even that Russian peak was busting out 30 or so launches per year.
Now here we are, two months into 2025, and the Russians have a grand total of two orbital launches.
geoffc: Let me correct you: “Not a single article I read — except Zimmerman’s posts here at Behind the Black — mentioned the leaks.”
Richard M,
Decline is a choice. Russia has chosen to spend its final years in futile wars of expansion chasing the phantom of a Soviet imperial restoration. Everything else has been subordinated to that hopeless iron dream. About all that can be said of this disastrous choice is that it materially hastens the day when, to paraphrase Hugo Drax, Russia will be put out of our misery.
Robert, I stand accurately corrected. My apologies.
geoffc: No apology required (though I accept it with amusement).