MOSCOW, April 20 (Itar-Tass) —— The second Progress cargo spaceship of the year, which lifted off Baikonur at 4:50 p.m. Moscow time on Friday, successfully arrived in the designated orbit nine minutes later, the Russian mission control center told Itar-Tass.
Progress M-15M separated from the Soyuz-U rocket at the altitude of about 200 kilometers and continued its flight towards the International Space Station (ISS) by the set trajectory. Its orbit has the following parameters: 245 kilometers in the apogee, 193 kilometers in the perigee, the orbit inclination of 51.66 degrees and the period of rotation is 88.59 minutes.
The spaceship will reach the ISS within two days. Judging by telemetric data, the flight proceeds normally, the center said.
The freighter will deliver about 2.4 tonnes of cargo, including food, water, oxygen, personal care items, fuel, equipment for ISS modules and instruments for experiments.
In addition to the standard food ration, the astronauts will receive 14 kilograms of fresh fruit – apples, oranges, grapefruit, lemons – and a kilo of onions. The fruit and onions are packed in containers, which will keep them fresh for several months. In addition, the astronauts will taste new canned fish products. Ten coffee and sugar sachets were sent specially for coffee lover Oleg Kononenko.
The crew will receive gifts from families and psychologists: chocolate bonbons, dry fruit, nuts and other delicacies, which not only diversify regular meals but also brighten up the crew’s day. Psychologists sent ten DVD with the latest Western-made movies. There is a birthday present for Gennady Padalka, who will celebrate his 54th birthday in orbit on June 21.