A few hours ago, the Progress MS-24 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station in the mission also referred to as Progress 85 or 85P. The Russian cargo spacecraft, which blasted off last Wednesday, August 24, Russian time, carries food, water, scientific experiments, fuel, and various hardware. Yesterday, the Station performed a maneuver using the Zvezda module’s engines to move from away the trajectory of a space debris but that had no consequences on the arrival of the Progress MS-24.
The Progress MS-24 cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Russian Zvezda module. Today, the crew will probably proceed with the hatch opening and the procedures to make it an appendage to the Station. The Progress MS-24’s primary mission is accomplished. In fact, it can’t return to Earth, so it will be filled with pieces of hardware that are faulty or have become unusable for some reason and assorted garbage and will disintegrate coming back to the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Progress MS-24 space freighter is scheduled to remain docked with the International Space Station for over six months. The date for its departure will be set later this year by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Meanwhile, Russian cosmonauts await the arrival of new crew members including fellow Russian Konstantin Borisov. The launch of SpaceX’s Crew-7 mission was postponed to Saturday, so for the moment, the arrival is scheduled for Sunday. He will replace his fellow countryman Andrey Fedyaev from the Crew-6 mission, whose return to Earth is currently scheduled for September 1.
For the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the success of the Progress MS-24 space cargo mission is certainly not enough to compensate for the failed Moon landing of the Luna 25 lander. Roscosmos has been facing delays in its programs for years, including the one linked to the International Space Station and to its project for a national space station, and various mishaps are creating further complications. In this situation, even the arrival of a space freighter must be greeted with relief.
