Russian Cargo Ship Casts Off from Space Station

MOSCOW (Interfax-AVN) — The Russian cargo spacecraft Progress M-62 left the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday.

"The undocking of the Progress spacecraft M-62 proceeded without accidents," Flight Control in Korolyov, Moscow region, told Interfax.

The cargo ship, also known as Progress 27, has been docked to the ISS since December 26, 2007.

Flight Control Center spokesman Valery Lyndin said that the spacecraft will launch into an autonomous flight for two weeks after the undocking. With its assistance, Russian scientists will conduct the Plasma-Progress test similar to the test conducted on the cargo spacecraft Progress M-60 last fall.

In the second half of February, Progress M-60 will be dumped into the so-called Spacecraft Cemetery in the Pacific Ocean, 3,000 kilometers from New Zealand.

Before undocking, the ISS crew including Russian astronaut Yuri Malenchenko, NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Daniel Tani loaded the spacecraft with waste and used equipment, while stripping the craft of all expensive equipment that will be taken to Earth either on the U.S. shuttle or on Russian's piloted spacecraft Soyuz.

"Progress M-62 has made out space for the next spacecraft to be launched from Baikonur on February 5, at 4 p.m. Moscow time.

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