An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft returned to Earth today (May 28) as planned.
The Progress 86 freighter undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) today at 4:39 am EDT (0839 GMT) and returned to Earth.
Progress 86 gave up the ghost a few hours later and burned up as planned over the Pacific Ocean, according to NASA officials. he said in an update.
Related: Facts about Roscosmos, the Russian space agency
Progress 86 released atop a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 1, 2023. The freighter arrived at the ISS two days later, delivering 5,600 pounds (2,540 kilograms) of food, scientific hardware and other supplies to the astronauts on board from the orbiting laboratory.
Progress 86 didn't sit empty today; she served as a garbage truck in her final hours, hauling garbage to be incinerated in earth atmosphere.
Four ships remain parked on the ISS: the Dragon capsule that flies the SpaceX capsule Crew-8 astronaut mission for NASA, a crewed Russian Soyuz spacecraft, the Progress 87 freighter, and a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo vehicle.
Like progress, Swan It is designed for single use only. But the Soyuz and both versions of SpaceX Continue (the cargo and manned variants) survive the harrowing journey through the air of our planet. Soyuz lands on land and Dragon makes gentle splashdowns in the ocean.
Soon more spacecraft will visit the ISS. The Russian Progress 88 freighter is scheduled to launch early Thursday morning (May 30), and Boeing is targeting Saturday afternoon (June 1) for the first crewed launch of its new Starliner capsule.
The Starliner mission, known as Flight test with crew, will send two NASA astronauts to the orbital laboratory for a stay of about a week. If all goes well, Starliner will be certified to fly long-duration crewed missions for the agency.
