| Mission type | Mir resupply |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1993-019A |
| SATCATno. | 22588 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Progress-M 11F615A55 |
| Manufacturer | NPO Energia |
| Launch mass | 7,250 kilograms (15,980 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 31 March 1993, 03:34:13 (1993-03-31UTC03:34:13Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-U2 |
| Launch site | BaikonurSite 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 3 March 1994, 03:28 (1994-03-03UTC03:29Z) UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 391 kilometres (243 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 391 kilometres (243 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Docking withMir | |
| Docking port | Kvant-1 Aft |
| Docking date | 1 April 1993, 05:16:18 UTC |
| Undocking date | 11 August 1993, 15:36:42 UTC |
| Time docked | 132 days |
Progress Mir Resupply | |
Progress M-17 (Russian:Прогресс М-17) was a Russian uncrewed cargospacecraft which was launched in 1993 to resupply theMir space station.[2] The thirty-fifth of sixty-fourProgress spacecraft to visit Mir, it used theProgress-M 11F615A55 configuration,[3] and had theserial number 217.[4] In addition to delivering cargo, Progress M-17 was also used to demonstrate extended duration Progress missions; remaining in orbit for almost a year with a docked phase lasting 132 days.
Progress M-17 was launched at 03:34:13 GMT on 31 March 1993, atop aSoyuz-U2 carrier rocket flying fromSite 1/5 at theBaikonur Cosmodrome.[4] It docked with the aft port of theKvant-1 module at 05:16:18 GMT on 1 April, less than 26 hours after launch.[5][6] The rocket had theserial number N15000-069.[4]
The spacecraft carried supplies including food, water and oxygen for theEO-13 andEO-14 crews aboard Mir, as well as equipment for conducting scientific research, and fuel for adjusting the station's orbit and performing manoeuvres. In all, Progress M-17 delivered 2,604 kilograms (5,741 lb) of cargo to Mir.[7] It carried the seventhVBK-Raduga recoverable capsule, however due to the extended duration mission this was returned byProgress M-18.
Progress M-17 was originally scheduled to conduct a normal length mission, however it remained docked with Mir for 132 days because of a longer than usual gap between missions requiring its docking port.[8]Soyuz TM-16 had docked with theKristall module in order to test theAPAS-89 docking system ahead of its use in theShuttle-Mir programme, leaving the forward port free for Progress M-18, whose docking marked the first time two Progress spacecraft had been docked to a station simultaneously.[9] It undocked from Mir at 15:36:42 GMT on 11 August.[5]
Due to its extended mission, the spacecraft did not have sufficient fuel remaining to deorbit, and it was therefore kept in orbit for 205 days of free flight, until its orbit haddecayed sufficiently for a deorbit burn to be conducted with what fuel remained. During this time, Progress M-17 was used for further tests of the spacecraft's longevity.[9] After being manoeuvred into an orbit away from the station, its systems were deactivated and it was kept in a low-power configuration. On 2 March the spacecraft was reactivated and successfully completed a series of manoeuvres to prove that it could still operate after having been in orbit for so long.[9] The next day, Progress M-17 was deorbited andreentered the atmosphere over theSouth America, breaking up at around 03:28 GMT.[1][5]
