The re-docking of the Russian Progress 47 resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed till July 29, due to an apparent failure in the new Kurs-NA rendezvous system.
On July 22, the space freighter undocked from the station to perform a series of engineering tests. It was expected to re-dock 24 hours later. But an emergency situation was registered during the re-docking, as the Kurs-NA navigation system revealed some unknown "technical mistakes" and made a passive abort - a standard procedure that took the Progress spacecraft to a safe distance of about 1.8 miles below the space station where it will remain until another attempt is made to re-redock with the ISS. The nearest date is now scheduled on July 29.
The Mission Control Centre has said both the freighter and the ISS are out of danger, and the whole situation is under full control. "Every space mission has its own off-nominal situations, it is just a normal process of working," is was added.
Author: Julia Alieva