News

The designer’s inspection of a new series cargo vehicle Progress MC is made

December 16, 2015

Today, on December 16, the RSC Energia specialists made the designer’s inspection of the first cargo transport vehicle (CTV) Progress MC of a new modification and performed technological operations for the launch vehicle encapsulation.

The vehicle pre-launch processing under the International Space Station Program is provided at spacecraft assembly & testing facilities (SC ATF) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

According to the preparatory operations schedule the following is planned: transportation of the nose assembly with the Progress MC CTV from SC ATF to launch vehicle assembly & testing facilities (LV ATF) for general assembly with Soyuz 2.1.

The launch of the Soyuz-2.1 launch vehicle with the Progress MC CTV is scheduled on December 21 from site No.31 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It will be the first launch of transport vehicle of new series MC.

The cargo vehicle will deliver about 2.5 t of cargo including “dry” cargo, propellant, water and compressed oxygen to the ISS.

Transport vehicles of a new modification such as Progress MC and Soyuz MC have been developed as a result of the great modernization of the Progress-M and Soyuz-TMA vehicles.

The majority of technical decisions inherent in the Soyuz MC and Progress MC structure will be used when creating a new generation manned transport vehicle (MTV) which is developed by RSC Energia.

 

OAO RSC Energia is a leading enterprise of rocket-space industry, the prime organization for manned space systems. The Corporation is working to develop unmanned space and rocket systems (launch vehicles and inter-orbital transfer), high-tech systems for various applications to be used in non-space fields. Since August 2014 the Corporation is headed by Vladimir Solntsev.