Progress MS-07

Progress MS-07 docking with the ISS on 16 October 2017
Names	Progress 68P
Mission type	ISS resupply
Operator	Roscosmos
COSPAR ID	2017-065A
SATCAT no.	42971
Mission duration	194 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Progress MS-07 s/n 437
Spacecraft type	Progress-MS
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Launch mass	7428 kg
Payload mass	2549 kg
Start of mission
Launch date	14 October 2017, 08:46:53 UTC[1]
Rocket	Soyuz-2.1a s/n U15000-029
Launch site	Baikonur, Site 31/6
Contractor	Progress Rocket Space Centre
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	26 April 2018
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.67°
Docking with ISS
Docking port	Pirs
Docking date	16 October 2017, 11:04:07 UTC
Undocking date	28 March 2018, 13:50:30 UTC [2]
Time docked	163 days
Cargo
Mass	2549 kg
Pressurised	1382 kg
Fuel	700 kg
Gaseous	47 kg
Water	420 kg
Progress ISS Resupply ← Progress MS-06 Progress MS-08 →

Progress MS-07 (Russian: Прогресс МC-07), identified by NASA as Progress 68P, was a Progress spaceflight, operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS).

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:^[3][4][5]

• 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 (MMOD) 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 (UCTS).
• Replacement of the Kurs A with Kurs NA digital system.

Launch

After a two-day delay, the Progress MS-07 lifted off on 14 October 2017, at 08:46:53 UTC. The spacecraft docked at the station on 16 October 2017, at 11:04:07 UTC. Progress MS-07 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket.^[1]

Docking

Progress MS-07 was docked with the aft docking port of the Pirs module. This Progress flight was intended to mark the debut of the new two-orbit rendezvous profile which was not possible when the original launch date had to be scrubbed.^[6]

Cargo

The Progress MS-07 spacecraft delivered 2,549 kg of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station for the six-person crew. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:^[4][6]

• Dry cargo: 1,382 kg
• Fuel: 700 kg (for Zvezda service module)
• Oxygen: 23 kg
• Air: 24 kg
• Water: 420 kg

Spacewalk

Once the Progress arrived at the station, Expedition 53 commander Randolph Bresnik and flight engineer Joseph M. Acaba prepared for a spacewalk, on 20 October 2017, to accomplish a variety of maintenance tasks outside the complex. This included the replacement of a fuse on the station's Canadian-built Dextre robot, replacing an external camera and light fixture, and removing thermal insulation from two spare units to prepare them for future relocation.^[4]

Undocking and decay

Progress MS-07 undocked from the Pirs on 28 March 2018, at 13:50:30 UTC. The vehicle continued with experiments until 26 April 2018.^[6]