Federal space agency Roscosmos has pushed back a number of missions to the International Space Station according to a revised launch schedule released Tuesday, after a failed resupply mission forced a temporary suspension in launches.
Roscosmos lost contact with a Progress resupply ship bound for the ISS in late April shortly after the vehicle reached space. The rockets eventually crashed in early May. A replacement supply freighter could not be launched until the reasons for the disaster were determined by a special accident commission, which concluded its work last week.
Now, the commission has approved a new schedule for ISS launches for the remainder of 2015, beginning with a new supply mission launching on July 3, according to a statement published on the Roscosmos website.
The changes have delayed the majority of this year's ISS flights. The next manned launch, designated Soyuz TMA-17M, was scheduled for the end of May but now must wait until July 23-25 to launch.
The time lost by the July crew will be split with a later manned launch aboard Soyuz TMA-19M, which has been postponed from Nov. 20 to Dec. 15. A special 10-day Soyuz mission designated TMA-18M will still launch on Sept. 1.
A new Progress resupply mission which did not exist on earlier launch schedules, designated Progress M-29M, will also launch on Sept. 21. The mission is likely a replacement for supplies lost in April's failure.
The final big change to the launch schedule is the monthlong delay of the debut of a brand-new updated Progress spaceship design, known as the Progress-MS. Instead of launching for the first time on Oct. 22, it will fly to space on Nov. 21.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
