Progress M-65 Launched From Baikonur Cosmodrome

September 10, Baikonur launch site, branch office of S.P.Korolev RSC Energia

At 23:30 Moscow Time a space logistics spacecraft Progress M-65 was launched from the Baikonur launch site.

The objective of the launch is to deliver cargoes to the International Space Station (ISS) that are needed to support the operation of the space station in manned mode and provide living and working conditions for the crew.
In accordance with the mission plan and Russian obligations under the ISS project, the logistics spacecraft is to deliver supplies of oxygen, water and food, consumables, Orlan-MK spacesuit for extravehicular activities, scientific equipment and hardware.

The spacecraft was put into a parking low-Earth orbit with the following parameters: 51.64° inclination, 194.0 km minimal altitude, 243.2 km maximum altitude, 88.57 minutes orbital period.

The onboard systems of the spacecraft operate normally.

At the launch site, the spacecraft prelaunch processing and launch were performed under the direction of the State Commission (chaired by the head of Roscosmos A.N. Perminov). The Commission was basing its decisions to proceed with each next step in processing and launching on the opinions of the Technical Management headed by the President of RSC Energia, Designer General V.A. Lopota.
According to the telemetry data and reports from the crew of ISS Expedition 17, the space station systems operate in normal mode. The station is ready for docking with the spacecraft.

The spacecraft docking with the space station is scheduled for September 13, 2008, at 01:01 Moscow Time.

 For reference:

1. Currently working onboard ISS is a crew consisting of: Sergei Volkov (cosmonaut tester of Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, crew commander), Oleg Kononenko (cosmonaut tester of S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, flight engineer-1) and Gregory Chamitoff (NASA astronaut, flight engineer-2).

2. S.P. Korolev RSC Energia is the prime manned space flight organization in the Russian rocket and space industry, responsible for the development of the ISS Russian Segment, its integration into the Space Station and its operation, including development and operation of principal Russian modules (Zvezda, Pirs, etc.), manufacturing, launch and operation of Soyuz TMA and Progress M spacecraft.

3. Progress M-65 is the 30th Russian logistics spacecraft launched to provide logistics support to ISS.

4. Currently conducted at S.P. Korolev RSC Energia are scheduled factory tests on the first Progress-type cargo transportation spacecraft belonging to a new modification.

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