A Russian spacecraft that went out of control in space re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned.
The ISS was launched in 1998, and, until now, it remains the largest artificial body in the Earth's orbit. It completes more than 15 orbits per day and can house a maximum of six crew members at a time. A number of experiments are conducted in the space laboratory that are significant for space exploration programs.
The Progress 59 spacecraft was launched by the Russian Federal Space Agency, or Roscosmos, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 28. The spacecraft was carrying food, oxygen and equipment for the crew members of ISS. Soon after launch, the unmanned spacecraft went out of control and scientists confirmed that it will fall to the Earth.
While it was known that the out of control Russian spacecraft will fall back to Earth, the scientists were not aware of when and where. On Thursday, May 7, the Progress 59 spacecraft entered the Earth's atmosphere at 10:04 p.m. EDT over the central Pacific Ocean and burned. While most of the spacecraft may have burned upon its re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere, some fragments may have fallen in the ocean.
"Only a few small pieces of structural elements could reach the planet's surface," stated Roscosmos.
The failed Progress 59 mission does not pose any threat to the ISS or its crew members. The space station has sufficient supplies to operate as normal.
"The spacecraft was not carrying any supplies critical for the United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the station, and the break up and reentry of the Progress posed no threat to the ISS crew. Both the Russian and USOS segments of the station continue to operate normally and are adequately supplied well beyond the next planned resupply flight," said NASA in a statement.
Roscosmos has revealed that an investigation is already underway to establish the reason for the crash. However, some reports suggest that the mission failed to a glitch in the Soyuz rocket that was carrying the cargo. The vessel did not have any problems.
