Russia launches Progress to ISS
Using its Soyuz-2 rocket, Roscosmos successfully launched and docked a Progress freighter to ISS, bringing with it three tons of cargo.
The leaders in the 2022 launch race:
22 SpaceX
17 China
8 Russia
3 Rocket Lab
3 ULA
The U.S still leads China 31 to 22 in the national rankings, as well as leading the entire world combined 31 to 28.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Using its Soyuz-2 rocket, Roscosmos successfully launched and docked a Progress freighter to ISS, bringing with it three tons of cargo.
The leaders in the 2022 launch race:
22 SpaceX
17 China
8 Russia
3 Rocket Lab
3 ULA
The U.S still leads China 31 to 22 in the national rankings, as well as leading the entire world combined 31 to 28.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Interesting Chinese activity for the next two weeks. Shenzhou-14 will launch on June 5th at 0244UTC and Galactic Energy with their CERES-1 on June 17th.
That Galactic Energy launch is the one I would like to watch. Their rocket looks like the Rocket Labs Electron. Also, Galactic Energy is saying that their engine is 3-D printed. Some of the future rockets they are showing on their website look a lot like the Falcon-9 and Falcon Heavy with their colors.
So we all know that all these so-called companies are just PLA fronts, but this is the first I have heard of “Galactic Energy”. I know from the article here from last May about LinkSpace working on a reusable first stage. Are these pseudo companies each given a task to build a component of the rocket and raise funds as well? Kind of like the design bureaus of the old Soviet Union minus the fund raising.
Jay asked, “Are these pseudo companies each given a task to build a component of the rocket and raise funds as well? Kind of like the design bureaus of the old Soviet Union minus the fund raising.”
That is exactly what is happening. And should the Chinese military or government change its mind, goodbye company.
“.. 3 tons of cargo …”
That does not sound like a lot. Would that cargo be mostly water and food?
Steve,
Progress is based off the Soyuz spacecraft, that is why they look closely alike. Soyuz is composed of three modules: a propulsion module, a descent module, and an orbital module. The Progress does not have a descent module, it has a larger propulsion module that looks like the propulsion and descent modules. That space where the descent module would be is additional fuel for the engine, oxygen and nitrogen for the station.
Progress is used to boost the orbit of the ISS and that is why they need those additional tanks of fuel. As for the cargo, that is stored in the orbital module. This is where food, water and spare parts for the station are carried. It is a lot to store in a small space. On average a Progress is launched up to the ISS every three months. When it is done, they fill it with garbage, disconnect it, and let it burn up in the atmosphere.
The Progress spacecraft is not that big. I got a good look of the Soyuz TMA-14 descent module at the Museum of Flight south of Seattle and it is small. It is amazing that they can fit three astronauts/cosmonauts with suits on into a volume that is smaller than a Geo Metro.
Steve Richter,
The article gives a breakdown of the cargo.
Hardware for onboard systems: 433 kilograms
Means of medical support: 30 kilograms
Personal protection equipment: 125 kilograms
Sanitary and hygiene equipment: 293 kilograms
Means of servicing and repair: 55 kilograms
Complex of means for the crew support: 63 kilograms
Food: 285 kilograms
Payload complex: 76 kilograms
Additional hardware: 93 kilograms
In addition:
Where the “Rodnik system” seems to be part of the life support system, providing the crew with potable water, a backup on-orbit reserve of water in the event of failure of the recycle system.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20100014813/downloads/20100014813.pdf
This water seems to have a one-year shelf life.
For the past few years, much of the water consumed aboard the ISS has been recycled, allowing for reduced amounts of water to be shipped to the station.
To Jay
There are even plastic rocket nozzles:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a26329/mit-plastic-rocket-nozzle/
Thanks Jeff! That is very cool.
I see 3D printing in the future as a manufacturing standard and will be essential on all spaceflights. Need a part? Don’t wait for the next Cygnus, or Dragon, or Progress cargo run, just make it now!
The Shenzhou craft looks more impressive than the Soyuz/Progress craft it was based on
https://mobile.twitter.com/SpaceflightNow/status/1533281732203618304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1533281732203618304%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2022%2F06%2F04%2Fshenzhou-14-launch-mission-status-center%2F
More on Progress:
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/progress.html
Some had the Raduga return sub capsule
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/vbk-raduga.htm