Cosmonauts Dock Russian Progress Cargo Ship to ISS on Remote Control After Autopilot Glitch
A Russian robotic cargo ship carrying fresh supplies for the International Space Station (ISS) crew docked with the orbiting outpost on Sunday, December 3, 2023, after a glitch in its automated rendezvous system forced cosmonauts to take manual control.
The Progress 86 spacecraft, carrying 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of food, fuel, water, and scientific equipment, docked with the ISS's Poisk module at 6:18 a.m. EST (1118 GMT). The docking was completed under remote control by Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who tracked the spacecraft's approach from inside the ISS.
The Progress 86 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, December 1, 2023, atop a Soyuz rocket. It completed 37 orbits of Earth before docking with the ISS.
The glitch in the Progress 86's automated rendezvous system occurred during the final approach to the ISS. The system, known as the Kurs rendezvous system, is responsible for guiding the spacecraft to the ISS and docking it automatically.
However, the Kurs system lost track of the spacecraft's precise location and orientation during the final approach. This forced Kononenko and Chub to take manual control of the spacecraft and guide it to the ISS using the manual docking system.
"The crew performed a flawless manual docking," said Roscosmos in a statement. "The Progress 86 cargo ship is now safely docked with the ISS."
The docking of the Progress 86 spacecraft is a relief for the ISS crew, as the supplies it is carrying are essential for their continued operation. The spacecraft is also carrying scientific experiments that will be conducted by the crew.
The glitch in the Progress 86's automated rendezvous system is the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the Russian space program in recent years. In 2021, a Nauka module that was docked with the ISS accidentally fired its thrusters, causing the ISS to spin out of control.
Despite these problems, the Russian space program remains an important part of the ISS project. Roscosmos is responsible for providing transportation to and from the ISS for Russian cosmonauts, as well as for supplying the station with food, fuel, and water.
The docking of the Progress 86 spacecraft is a testament to the skill and experience of the Russian cosmonauts. It is also a reminder of the importance of international cooperation in space exploration.