Progress M1-5 Transport Cargo Vehicle Launched to MIR Orbital Complex

At 7 hours 28 minutes 42 seconds Moscow Time the Progress M1-5 transport
cargo vehicle-tanker was launched.

The launch is intended to support the operations to be accomplished
under the MIR Orbital Manned Complex Final Flight Phase Program to execute
the Decree of the Government of RF dated 30/12/2000 #1035.

The vehicle has been injected into orbit with a maximum altitude of
242.2 km, minimum altitude of 193.9 km and revolution period of 88.6
min. The vehicle onboard systems operate normally.

The docking to the Orbital Complex is scheduled on January 27, 2001
at 8:31 am. During the autonomous flight of the vehicle a MIR/Progress
M1-5 rendezvous configuration will be implemented providing minimum
propellant consumption rates. This configuration was successfully tested
during the Progress M-43 rendezvous and docking to the MIR Orbital Complex,
that will be undocked and transferred to the autonomous flight mode
on January 25, 2000 before the Progress M1-5 cargo vehicle arrives.

The Progress M1-5 will occupy the Kvant module docking port cleared
after the Progress M-43 departs.

The flight control of the Progress M1-5 cargo vehicle and MIR Orbital
Complex is implemented by Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT) from
Moscow Mission Control Center (MCC-M). The flight director is pilot-cosmonaut
V.A. Soloviev.

According to LOCT, the MIR Orbital Complex is in up state, and continues
a controlled flight in an unmanned mode.

The Orbital Complex of 135 t mass (it consists of the Core, Kvant, Kvant-2,
Kristall, Spektr and Priroda modules, docking compartment and Progress
M-43 cargo vehicle) rotates around the Earth in orbit with a maximum
altitude of 312.9 km, minimum altitude of 295.6 km, inclination of 51.66?.
The period of revolution is 90.4 min.

The Progress M1-5 prelaunch processing and launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome
were directed by Yu. P. Semenov, Technical Manager of the Russian Manned
Programs, General Designer of RSC Energia, Academician of RAS) under
coordination of the Intergovernmental Committee established in accordance
with the Decree of the Russian Government (Committee Deputy Chairman
is lieutenant general V.A. Grin).