This story was updated at 12:45 p.m.
EST.
An upgraded Russian cargo ship
launched toward the International Space Station early Wednesday, hauling fresh
supplies for astronauts aboard the orbiting lab, though an antenna failed to
deploy shortly after reaching orbit making it possible the spacecraft will have
to be guided in manually by the orbiting lab's crew, NASA officials said.
The unmanned space freighter
Progress 31 lifted off atop a Russian-built Soyuz rocket at about 7:38 a.m. EST
(1238 GMT) from the Central Asian spaceport of Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft will dock at
the space station on Sunday a few hours before the planned landing of NASA's
space shuttle Endeavour, which is currently
docked at the station and due to depart Friday.
Shortly after reaching space, one of
several vital antennas for the spacecraft's automatic docking systems failed to
deploy.
"Everything is working except
for one thing," Russian Mission Control radioed up to the station crew.
"One of the antennas did not deploy, it is still folded."
After the spacecraft was in flight,
Russian mission controllers signaled the antenna to attempt to deploy again and
it appears the attempt was successful, NASA officials said. Russian officials
are still determining whether or not the cargo ship will need to be guided in
manually to dock with the space station.
The antenna is one of two to be used
during the spacecraft's final approach and berthing at the station's
Russian-built Pirs docking compartment on Sunday at
7:23 a.m. EST (1232 GMT).
Without the antenna, it is more
likely space station commander Michael Fincke, of NASA, and Russian flight
engineer Yury Lonchakov
will have to dock the Progress 31 spacecraft from inside the station using a
remote control system called TORU.
"Make sure you refresh on
everything so that everything is clear because the probability of using this
mode is very high," Russian Mission Control called up.
"I copy," Lonchakov said.
Also known as Progress M-01M, the
Progress 31 cargo ship is the latest in a series of Russian space freighters to
launch toward the space station. But unlike its predecessors, the spacecraft is
flying with new computer enhancements to be tested for Russia's future manned
Soyuz vehicles.
The Russian Interfax News Agency
reported the spacecraft is carrying a modern digital control system.
Progress 31 is hauling about 5,342 pounds (2,423 kg) of
cargo, which includes about 1,808 pounds (820 kg) of propellant, 463 pounds (210 kg) of
water and 2,963 pounds (1,343 kg) of
equipment, experiments and other dry supplies, NASA officials said.
Meanwhile, astronauts aboard the
shuttle Endeavour will pack up their own cargo module, which delivered 14,400
pounds (6,531 kg) of cargo, including a new recycling system that converts
astronaut urine and sweat back
into potable water for drinking, food preparation, bathing
and oxygen generation. They also tuned up the space station's balky starboard
solar array-turning gear and installed two spare bathrooms, a second kitchen
and bathroom, new gym equipment and space food refrigerator to the space
station.
Endeavour is due to undock Friday
afternoon and land on Sunday at 1:18 p.m. EST (1818 GMT).
NASA is providing live coverage of
Endeavour's STS-126 mission on NASA TV. Click here for SPACE.com's mission
coverage and NASA TV feed.
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