They are lucky they still have a few U launchers left to use for the Progress program after the recent mishap with Soyuz 2 & the issues didn't occur after U stocks had been depleted.
Quote from: Star One on 06/04/2015 04:02 pmThey are lucky they still have a few U launchers left to use for the Progress program after the recent mishap with Soyuz 2 & the issues didn't occur after U stocks had been depleted.You call it lucky, I call it having built in margin. They didn't switched straight away, but kept a very slow transition. And it has paid them. In any case, can't they keep churning FGs or are those also out of production? 2.1a cost something like 30% more, if I'm not mistaken.
Is the FG version suitable for integration with Progress
Quote from: Star One on 06/04/2015 07:00 pmIs the FG version suitable for integration with ProgressThe first three Soyuz-FG rockets were launched with Progress cargo spacecrafts - Soyuz-FG version is the same as Soyuz-U version in terms of integration with Progress.
Another question: the Russians have added a 5th Progress flight in 2015 by moving up Progress M-29M (s/n 429, the last of the original Progress M-M series) all the way from April next year to this September. How do they do this (was this one planned to be ready much earlier due to it being the back-up to the new Progress-MS series?)?
At Baikonur launch site the preparations continue for the launch of Progress M-28M cargo vehicle under the International Space Station program.Today Progress M-28M cargo vehicle fuelled with propellant components and compressed gases was delivered to the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility for final processing operations.
Who's that fellow on the wall in the third picture and what does the writing by his head say?Thanks in advance.
Quote from: Star One on 06/23/2015 12:47 pmWho's that fellow on the wall in the third picture and what does the writing by his head say?Thanks in advance.That would be Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.
At Baikonur launch site the preparations continue for the launch of Progress M-28M cargo vehicle under the International Space Station program.Designers inspection of the Progress M-28M cargo vehicle was completed.Payload shroud roll on to the Progress M-28M cargo vehicle was performed.