TORONTO – The Russian Progress spacecraft — which was slated to deliver 6,000 pounds of fuel, supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station — fell to Earth on Thursday.
Russian controllers failed to gain control of the cargo resupply ship after it launched on April 28 and declared the mission a loss two days later. The spacecraft entered an unstable orbit and continued to spin out of control.
READ MORE: Russia’s spinning cargo capsule for space station total loss
NASA said that the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, reported that the unmanned spacecraft re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere at 10:04 p.m. ET over the Pacific Ocean.
The European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office also confirmed the re-entry time, stating that it fell at 51 degrees south latitude and 273 degrees east longitude, placing it over the Pacific Ocean west of the southern tip of the Chilean coast.
Though most of it was expected to burn up in the atmosphere, it is likely that some larger parts of the craft reached the Earth’s surface.
There were no recorded sightings of Progress as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.
Comments