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| Progress MS-15 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Progress MS-15 |
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
| Operator | Roscosmos |
| Mission duration | 190 days |
| Spacecraft type | Progress-MS |
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia |
| Launch mass | 7000 kg |
| Launch date | 2020-02-23 UTC |
| Launch rocket | Soyuz-2.1a |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31/6 |
| Decay date | 2020-09-05 UTC |
| Orbit | Low Earth orbit |
| Apsis | gee |
Progress MS-15
Progress MS-15 was a Russian uncrewed cargo spacecraft launched to resupply the International Space Station during Expedition 62. Operated by Roscosmos and built by RKK Energia, the mission used a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome and delivered propellant, supplies, and experiment hardware to support crews including members from Roscosmos, NASA, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. The flight contributed to ongoing logistics for station expeditions and served as part of the Progress (spacecraft) heritage that began in the 1970s.
The mission supported station operations for Expedition 62 and Expedition 63, addressing resupply needs stemming from long-duration increments involving flight engineers such as Oleg Skripochka, Denis Matveev, Chris Cassidy, Anatoli Ivanishin, and visiting cargo specialists from NASA Astronaut Corps, European Astronaut Centre, JAXA Astronaut Corps, and Canadian Space Agency. Managed by Roscosmos in coordination with NASA Mission Control and RKK Energia, the flight demonstrated routine logistics cooperation among international partners that include International Space Station Programme stakeholders like Boeing, SpaceX, and Sierra Nevada Corporation by maintaining station consumables, scientific payloads, and orbital maintenance resources.
The vehicle was a Progress-MS series variant manufactured by RKK Energia and incorporated enhancements over the original Progress-M platform, featuring an upgraded avionics suite developed in collaboration with kbKhA and TsENKI contractors. Modifications included improved rendezvous sensors influenced by technologies from Glonass and guidance algorithms similar to those used in Soyuz MS vehicles, enhanced telemetry links via Luch data relay satellites and upgraded micrometeoroid protection drawing on lessons from Salyut and Mir programs. Structural and propulsion elements trace heritage to designs used by Tsiolkovsky-era projects and later optimized alongside Russian prime contractors including Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center.
Launched on 23 February 2020 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31/6 atop a Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle operated by Progress Rocket Space Centre, the ascent profile leveraged staging practices established by Sergei Korolev-era procedures and modernized trajectory planning by TsNIIMash engineers. The seven-orbit, expedited rendezvous approach enabled a rapid phasing profile similar to methods used by NASA and Roscosmos for crewed Soyuz flights, coordinating orbital adjustments with ground stations like Ground Control Center (Moscow) and data relays via the Luch and GLONASS constellations. Navigation relied on integrated GNSS updates and Kurs-NA radar-guided proximity operations developed with contractors from RSC Energia.
Progress MS-15 performed automated docking to the aft port of the Zvezda (ISS module) or an equivalent Russian segment port, using automated approach systems compatible with station rendezvous protocols employed by visiting vehicles such as Dragon CRS and Cygnus (spacecraft). On-orbit operations were coordinated with the ISS flight control team at Johnson Space Center, Roscosmos Mission Control Center in Korolyov, and European partners at European Space Agency control centers. The spacecraft supported station reboost maneuvers using its thrusters, delivered consumables for life support installed in modules like Zarya, and facilitated transfer of scientific hardware for experiments overseen by institutions including Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, DLR, and JAXA.
The cargo included a mix of dry cargo, propellant, water, and gases to support crew operations and scientific research. Dry cargo items comprised spare parts for systems originating with RKK Energia and experiment racks developed by facilities such as European Space Research and Technology Centre and NASA Ames Research Center. Propellant transfers supported attitude control and reboost requirements coordinated with station integrators from Boeing and Thales Alenia Space. Scientific payloads included experiment apparatus for institutions like Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ESA, JAXA, and NASA researchers studying materials science, radiation biology, and fluid physics in microgravity with hardware akin to that used in MISSE, Space Station Remote Manipulator System tests, and small payloads from commercial vendors such as Sierra Nevada Corporation and NanoRacks.
After approximately 190 days supporting the International Space Station complex, mission controllers at Roscosmos and RKK Energia conducted deorbit operations culminating in destructive reentry over the Pacific Ocean on 5 September 2020. The deorbit followed standard end-of-life procedures similar to protocols used for earlier Progress and :Category:Spacecraft reentered missions, coordinating with international range safety offices and maritime authorities including Rosatom-linked agencies monitoring reentry corridors. Disposal removed unneeded station waste and concluded a logistics cycle consistent with supply chain patterns established by successive commercial and government cargo flights such as HTV (spacecraft) and ATV (spacecraft).
The flight reinforced the durability of the Progress-MS lineage developed by RKK Energia and maintained by Roscosmos as a reliable logistics lifeline for the International Space Station, complementing commercial resupply services from providers like SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, and supporting international research carried out by NASA, ESA, JAXA, and CSA. Technological upgrades—such as enhanced telemetry via Luch relays and refined rendezvous sensors related to Kurs-NA evolution—contributed to cumulative improvements in unmanned resupply operations, informing future designs linked to programs administered by organizations like Roscosmos State Corporation and aiding interoperability considerations with multinational station modules including Harmony (Node 2), Columbus (ISS module), and Kibo.
Category:Progress (spacecraft) flights Category:2020 in spaceflight Category:Supply vehicles