Progress MS-08
Progress MS-08, identified by NASA as Progress 69P, was a Progress spaceflight, operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station.
History
The Progress-MS is an uncrewed freighter based on the Progress-M featuring improved avionics. This improved variant first launched on 21 December 2015. It has the following improvements:- New external compartment that enables it to deploy satellites. Each compartment can hold up to four launch containers. First time installed on Progress MS-03.
- Enhanced redundancy thanks to the addition of a backup system of electrical motors for the docking and sealing mechanism.
- Improved Micrometeoroid protection with additional panels in the cargo compartment.
- Luch Russian relay satellites link capabilities enable telemetry and control even when not in direct view of ground radio stations.
- GNSS autonomous navigation enables real time determination of the status vector and orbital parameters dispensing with the need of ground station orbit determination.
- Real time relative navigation thanks to direct radio data exchange capabilities with the space station.
- New digital radio that enables enhanced TV camera view for the docking operations.
- The Ukrainian Chezara Kvant-V on board radio system and antenna/feeder system has been replaced with a Unified Command Telemetry System .
- Replacement of the Kurs A with Kurs NA digital system.
Launch
Progress MS-08 launched on 13 February 2018 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, at 08:13:33 UTC.Docking
Progress MS-08 docked on 15 February 2018 with the aft docking port of the Zvezda module, at 10:38 UTC.Cargo
The Progress MS-08 spacecraft delivered 2,494 kg of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station.The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:Dry cargo: 1,390 kgFuel: 890 kgOxygen and Air: 46 kgWater: 430 kg
Progress MS-08 also includes two nanosatellites: Tanyusha YuZGU-3 and Tanyusha YuZGU-4 with a mass of 2.5 kg, which was developed jointly by RKK Energia and students at the South-Western State University, YuZGU, in the city of Kursk. The satellites will be launched by spacewalking cosmonauts.