Russian space freighter to be ‘buried’ in Pacific

MOSCOW - Russia’s last space freighter with an analogue control system will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere Sunday before plunging into a “spaceship cemetery” in the southern Pacific, the Russian Mission Control said.

The Progress M-67 cargo spaceship, which arrived at the International Space Station July 29, bringing 2.5 tonnes of supplies, including fuel, water and various equipment, successfully undocked from the world’s sole orbiter Sep 21.

During its automatic flight, the craft was used as an orbital laboratory to conduct a series of geophysical experiments under the Plasma-Progress programme.

Progress-series freighters have been the backbone of the Russian space cargo fleet for decades. In addition to their main mission as cargo spacecraft, they are used to adjust the ISS orbit and conduct scientific experiments.

The new generation of Progress vehicles is digitally controlled.

–RIA Novosti