By RIA Novasti
Moscow : Russia’s Progress M-61 cargo spacecraft is to be detached from the International Space Station (ISS) on December 22 and used as a platform for technical experiments, mission control said on Thursday.
“Progress-M61 is to be undocked from the ISS on December 22. However, the spacecraft, which is at the end of its service life, will not be buried at the ‘spacecraft cemetery’ in the Pacific, but will be sent on an independent voyage,” a spokesman said.
He said the cargo ship, like its predecessor, Progress M-60, would be used for experimental purposes before being allowed to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
He did not say how long the experiment would last.
Progress ships are used to deliver food and water for the ISS crew, fuel to maintain the space platform’s orbit, as well as other cargo and research equipment.