spacetoday.net: Progress docks with ISS despite antenna problem

Progress docks with ISS despite antenna problem

Posted: Sat, Apr 27, 2013, 10:02 AM ET (1402 GMT)
Progress M-19M docking with ISS (NASA)

A Russian Progress cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Friday despite an antenna on the spacecraft that failed to deploy. The Progress M-19M docked with the Zvezda service module at 8:25 am EDT (1225 GMT) and achieved a "hard mate" with the station nine minutes later. The docking took place despite the failure of an antenna used by the Kurs automated docking system to deploy after the Progress launched on Wednesday. Engineers had worried that that undeployed antenna might prevent the Progress from making a hard mate with the station, requiring a spacewalk to free it so that the hatch could be opened, but the spacecraft docked securely and the ISS crew started unloading the spacecraft later Friday.