Progress 20

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Progress 20
A Progress 7K-TG spacecraft
Mission typeSalyut 7 resupply
COSPAR ID1984-038A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.14932[1]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftProgress (No.121)
Spacecraft typeProgress 7K-TG[2]
ManufacturerNPO Energia
Start of mission
Launch date15 April 1984, 08:12:53 UTC[1]
RocketSoyuz-U2[2]
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 31/6
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date7 May 1984, 00:32:51 UTC[3]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude186 km[3]
Apogee altitude260 km[3]
Inclination51.6°[3]
Period89.0 minutes[3]
Epoch15 April 1984
Docking with Salyut 7
Docking portAft[3]
Docking date17 April 1984, 09:22 UTC
Undocking date6 May 1984, 17:46 UTC
 

Progress 20 (Russian: Прогресс 20) was a Soviet uncrewed Progress cargo spacecraft, which was launched in April 1984 to resupply the Salyut 7 space station.

Spacecraft[edit]

Progress 20 was a Progress 7K-TG spacecraft. The 20th of forty three to be launched, it had the serial number 121.[4][5] The Progress 7K-TG spacecraft was the first generation Progress, derived from the Soyuz 7K-T and intended for uncrewed logistics missions to space stations in support of the Salyut programme. On some missions the spacecraft were also used to adjust the orbit of the space station.[6]

The Progress spacecraft had a dry mass of 6,520 kilograms (14,370 lb), which increased to around 7,020 kilograms (15,480 lb) when fully fuelled. It measured 7.48 metres (24.5 ft) in length, and 2.72 metres (8 ft 11 in) in diameter. Each spacecraft could accommodate up to 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) of payload, consisting of dry cargo and propellant. The spacecraft were powered by chemical batteries, and could operate in free flight for up to three days, remaining docked to the station for up to thirty.[6]

Launch[edit]

Progress 20 launched on 15 April 1984 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh SSR. It used a Soyuz-U2 rocket.[2][7]

Docking[edit]

Progress 20 docked with the aft port of Salyut 7 on 17 April 1984 at 09:22 UTC, and was undocked on 6 May 1984 at 17:46 UTC.[3][8]

Decay[edit]

It remained in orbit until 7 May 1984, when it was deorbited. The deorbit burn occurred at 00:32:51 UTC, with the mission ending at around 01:15 UTC.[3][8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Launchlog". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Progress 1 - 42 (11F615A15, 7K-TG)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Cargo spacecraft "Progress 20"". Manned Astronautics figures and facts. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007.
  4. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Progress 1 - 42 (11F615A15, 7K-TG)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  5. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  6. ^ a b Hall, Rex D.; Shayler, David J. (2003). Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft. Springer-Praxis. pp. 239–250. ISBN 1-85233-657-9.
  7. ^ "Progress 20". NASA. Retrieved 5 December 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ a b "Salyut 7". Astronautix. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2020.