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The first launch of a resupply ship for the International Space Station in the post-shuttle era has failed.
Mission Control Moscow reported an abnormal situation from the Progress 44 cargo craft that launched on time at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Progress 44 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome into a cloudless sky at 7 p.m. Kazakhstan time bound for the International Space Station and a docking on Friday. At the time of launch, the space station was flying 230 miles over Equatorial Guinea on the west coast of Africa. The spacecraft is carrying 2.9 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the space station.
But, five minutes and 50 seconRAB after launch, Mission Control Houston received a report of an ?off-nominal situation? during the rocket's third and final stage. Officials said there was a loss of telemetry.
The brief statement from the Roscosmos agency did not specify whether the Progress supply ship that was launched Wednesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome had been entirely lost. However, they said they have had no success in contacting Progress 22.
Since the ending of the U.S. space shuttle program this summer, Russian spaceships are the only supply link to the space station.
Mission Control Moscow reported an abnormal situation from the Progress 44 cargo craft that launched on time at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Progress 44 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome into a cloudless sky at 7 p.m. Kazakhstan time bound for the International Space Station and a docking on Friday. At the time of launch, the space station was flying 230 miles over Equatorial Guinea on the west coast of Africa. The spacecraft is carrying 2.9 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the space station.
But, five minutes and 50 seconRAB after launch, Mission Control Houston received a report of an ?off-nominal situation? during the rocket's third and final stage. Officials said there was a loss of telemetry.
The brief statement from the Roscosmos agency did not specify whether the Progress supply ship that was launched Wednesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome had been entirely lost. However, they said they have had no success in contacting Progress 22.
Since the ending of the U.S. space shuttle program this summer, Russian spaceships are the only supply link to the space station.