spacetoday.net: Progress cargo spacecraft to reenter

Posted: Sat, May 2, 2015, 10:52 AM ET (1452 GMT)
Progress M-23M approaching the ISS (NASA)

Russian controllers have abandoned efforts to restore control over a Progress cargo spacecraft that started spinning out of control shortly after launch Tuesday, leaving it to reenter the Earth's atmosphere in about a week. The Progress was launched Tuesday on a mission to deliver more than 2,700 kilograms of cargo to the ISS, but failed to deploy rendezvous antennas shortly after launch and soon started spinning. Roscosmos said Wednesday it would not attempt a docking with the ISS, and by Thursday acknowledged they could no longer control the spacecraft at all. The Progress's orbit is decaying and it is expected to reenter on May 9, with a margin of error of plus or minus two days. Officials note that while some debris from the spacecraft may survive reentry, it is highly unlikely to cause damage on the ground.