Progress M-52 Cargo Vehicle Launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome

The Integrated launch vehicle Soyuz-U/Progress M-52 was
launched from Baikonur cosmodrome.

The launch is aimed at delivering necessary cargoes by
Progress M-52 transport cargo vehicle to the International
Space Station (ISS) to continue its manned operation, support
living and working conditions for the crew, re-supply tanks
with propellant and gases. Furthermore, during the vehicle
flight in the mated configuration the thruster assisted
attitude control of the Orbital Complex is planned.

The ILV was launched at 22:09:18 Moscow time.

The vehicle was injected into a near-earth orbit with maximum
altitude of 243.6 km, minimum altitude of 193.0 km, period
of revolution of 88.57 min and inclination of 51.65?.

All vehicle onboard systems operate normally.

According to the ISS program, the vehicle flight bears
a designation of 17P and is implemented to fulfill the
Russian obligations under the Project.

This is the 17th flight of Progress cargo vehicles to the
International Space Station. The vehicles of this type
are developed at RSC Energia, and operated since 1978.
At present two modern modified vehicles Progress M and
Progress M1 are used for flights.

Progress M-52 carries about 2.4 tones of various cargoes,
including propellant, oxygen, air, potable water, foodstuff,
equipment and facilities for the station onboard systems,
medical equipment, underwear, personal hygiene items and
individual protection gear, flight-data files, video and
photo materials, parcels for the crew, and structural elements.
Payloads for the USOS, hardware and materials for space
experiments, including the European Space Agency ENEIDE
program, which activities will be performed by the 8th
visiting crew scheduled on April 2005.

The vehicle berthing is scheduled on 2 March 2005 at 23:15
to the axial docking port of Russian Service Module Zvezda.
Progress M-51, that has been operating as part of the Orbital
Complex since 26 December 2004, cleared the docking port
on 27 February 2005. During 10 days this vehicle will continue
a free flight under the program developed by the Russian
specialists, following which it will be de-orbited in the
assigned area of the Pacific Ocean.

A decision about ILV Soyuz-U/Progress M-52 launch was taken
by the Government Board (co-chairmen: N.F. Moiseev, V.A.
Griní) based on the statement of the Technical Management
about the readiness of the Orbital Complex and ground infrastructure
components involved in the ISS program implementation.

The vehicle and ISS Russian Segment flight is under control
of the Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT) located in
the Mission Control Center in Moscow (MCC-M), Korolev,
Moscow area (Flight Director is V.A. Soloviev, S.P. Korolev
RSC Energia Deputy General Designer, pilot-cosmonaut).

The ISS Orbital Complex operates in orbit with the following
parameters: maximum altitude of 377.2 km, minimum altitude
of 355.4 km, period of revolution of 91.64 min and inclination
of 51.66?.

Based on the telemetry information and reports made by
the ISS Expedition 10 crew: Russian cosmonaut Salizhan
Sharipov (flight engineer) and US astronaut Leroy Chiao
(commander), all station onboard systems operate as designed.

The Orbital Complex is ready for docking with the cargo
vehicle.

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