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Docking

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Russia delivers station supplies in its first space mission of 2014

Russia launched a cargo ship to the International Space Station, ISS, on Wednesday, in its first orbital launch attempt this year.

Previous chapter: Progress-MM missions

Above: Progress M-22M is being delivered for final integration on Jan. 28, 2014, after fueling.

Launch

The launch of the Soyuz-U rocket from Pad No. 5 at Site 1 in Baikonur took place as scheduled on Feb. 5, 2014, at 20:23 Moscow Time (11:23 a.m. EST). The launch vehicle was carrying the Progress M-22M (No. 422) cargo spacecraft with 2.5 tons of cargo for the orbiting outpost and its 38th long-duration expedition. Among unusual payloads onboard the ship, is a container with gold fish for the Russian-Japanese Akvarium-AQH experiment. In the ISS schedule, this mission is known as 54P.

The launch was ensured for 1.518 billion rubles with the Sogaz company and its was previously scheduled on Oct. 23 and Dec. 24, 2013.

Docking

The automated docking of Progress M-22M at Pirs docking compartment on the ISS took place as scheduled on Feb. 6, 2014, at 02:22 Moscow Summer Time, or 5 hours 59 minutes and four orbits after the liftoff, as two vehicles were flying over the Atlantic.

In preparation for the arrival of Progress M-22M, a previous cargo vehicle -- Progress M-20M -- was undocked from the station on Feb. 3, 2014.

End of mission

Progress M-22M undocked from the Pirs Docking Compartment, SO1, of the Russian segment on April 7, 2014, at 17:58 Moscow Time. As a number of predecessors, the cargo ship was scheduled to remain in orbit until April 18, for a series of radar experiments prepared by the TsNIIMash research institute.

The spacecraft was deorbited on April 18, 2014, at 19:46 Moscow Time.

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Page author: Anatoly Zak; last update: April 18, 2014

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Progress M-22M during pre-launch processing. Click to enlarge. Credit: RKK Energia

A Soyuz rocket with Progress M-22M spacecraft shortly after its delivery to the launch pad on Feb. 3, 2014. Credit: RKK Energia

Progress lifts off from Baikonur on Feb. 5, 2014. Credit: RKK Energia