Russia is trying to figure out its next steps after losing contact with an unmanned cargo spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station that is now spinning out of control, NASA said Wednesday.
The ISS Progress 59 cargo spacecraft launched successfully early Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
But after it separated from the Soyuz booster rocket’s third stage, Russian flight controllers were unable to confirm the health of all the spacecraft’s systems, including the deployment of navigational antennae, NASA said.
A planned rendezvous with the ISS six hours later was initially postponed to Thursday but has now been canceled, NASA said in its latest update.
“Docking has been called off for the Progress 59 spacecraft,” it said. “Russian flight controllers are continuing to assess the vehicle and what the plan going forward will be. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Few details have been forthcoming so far from Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos.
According to NASA, the cargo ship is carrying more than 3 tons of food, fuel, oxygen, spare parts and scientific experiment hardware for the space station.
But the hitch will not put the six ISS crew members at risk, NASA said.
“The spacecraft was not carrying any supplies critical for the United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the station,” a statement said. “Both the Russian and USOS segments of the station continue to operate normally and are adequately supplied well beyond the next planned resupply flight.”
That next flight, which will be the seventh SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the space station, is not scheduled to take off before June 19, NASA said.
Meanwhile, Russian flight controllers continue their efforts to make contact with Progress 59 as it passes over Russian ground stations.
NASA said Tuesday that Russian flight controllers had “confirmed that the vehicle had entered into a slow spin and have issued commands to attempt to control it.”
According to Russian state news agency Tass, six attempts to make contact were to be made Wednesday.
The U.S. supplies on board the spacecraft include spare parts for the station’s environmental control and life support system, backup spacewalk hardware and crew clothing, “all of which are replaceable,” NASA said.
U.S. astronaut Terry Virts, from Maryland, is the current space station commander.
