MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. The Progress MS-30 cargo spaceship will undock from the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, freeing up the dock for the next space freighter, Russia’s Roscosmos State Space Corporation said.
The Progress spacecraft will undock from the Zvezda (or Star) module at about 3:44 p.m. GMT, switching to the autonomous flight mode. The freighter will turn on its thrusters for braking at about 6:59 p.m. GMT to begin descent from the ISS orbit and enter the Earth's atmosphere. Most of the spacecraft will burn up in the dense layers of the atmosphere, while its non-combustible parts will splash down into the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area and sink.
The Progress MS-30 freighter arrived at the ISS on March 3, delivering almost 2.6 metric tons of cargo, including equipment, clothing, food, and the Orlan-MKS No. 6 spacesuit for extravehicular activity.
The next cargo spacecraft to arrive in orbit will be Progress MS-32. A Soyuz-2.1 rocket carrying the freighter has already been installed at the Bainonur spaceport’s Launch Site 31. The launch is scheduled for September 11, and the spaceship’s docking to the ISS is expected to take place on September 13.
The Progress MS is a Russian automatic spacecraft designed to service orbital stations, deliver cargoes to the International Space Station (fuel, scientific equipment, oxygen, potable water, food and other supplies) and adjust its orbit.