Progress M-04M

Progress M-04M

Progress M-04M approaching the ISS
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	Roskosmos
COSPAR ID	2010-003A
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Progress-M 11F615A60
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Start of mission
Launch date	3 February 2010, 03:45 (2010-02-03UTC03:45Z) UTC[1]
Rocket	Soyuz-U
Launch site	Baikonur
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	1 July 2010 (2010-08Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Inclination	51.6 degrees
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Zvezda Aft
Docking date	5 February 2010, 04:26 UTC
Undocking date	10 May 2010, 11:16 UTC
Time docked	94 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
Cargo
Mass	2,686 kilograms (5,922 lb)
Pressurised	1,217 kilograms (2,683 lb)
Fuel	880 kilograms (1,940 lb)
Water	420 kilograms (930 lb)

Progress M-04M, identified by NASA as Progress 36P, is a Russian Progress spacecraft which was launched in February 2010 to resupply the International Space Station. It was docked with the aft port of the Zvezda module of the station.

Launch and docking with ISS

Progress M-04M was launched by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket, flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The launch occurred at 03:45 UTC on 3 February 2010, and after just over three days of free flight, Progress M-04M docked with the Zvezda module of the International Space Station at 04:26 UTC on 5 February. Its docking marked the first time four Russian spacecraft had been docked to the station at the same time; since the Soyuz TMA-16, Soyuz TMA-17 and Progress M-03M spacecraft were already docked.^[2] It is expected to remain docked until 10 May, when it will depart, allowing Soyuz TMA-17 to be moved to the Zvezda aft port. This in turn will clear the way for the arrival of the Rassvet module, which will be delivered by Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-132.^[3]

The Progress M-04M spacecraft delivered 2,686 kilograms (5,922 lb) of cargo to the ISS.^[4] This included water to be used by systems in the Russian segment of the station, propellant to refuel the station and to perform orbital manoeuvres, food and medical supplies.^[4]

Undocking and deorbit

Progress M-04M seen shortly after undocking from the ISS.

Progress M-04M undocked from the ISS on 10 May 2010.^[5] On 7 May 2010 Russian Space Agency's Mission Control announced that the ISS crew had loaded Progress M-04M with garbage and readied the spacecraft for undocking.^[6] The command for undocking was issued at 11:13 UTC, and three minutes later Progress M-04M separated from the Zvezda module. Cosmonauts Skvortsov and Kornienko monitored the undocking with photo and video cameras focusing on the Progress docking mechanism to confirm that there were no missing or damaged O-ring seals on the docking interface.

The spacecraft stayed in an autonomous flight for two months after undocking and take part in the Reflection geophysical experiment to study reflective characteristics of the freighter's hull and the transparency of the Earth's atmosphere.

Progress M-04M was deorbited on 1 July 2010 over the Pacific Ocean.^[7] The deorbit burn began at 13:54 UTC. At about 14:40, remaining parts of the spacecraft which had not burnt during the reentry, fell down in the south area of the Pacific Ocean, 37°47′S 235°09′W.^[8]

References