An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft ferrying supplies to the International Space Station is plunging back to Earth and apparently out of control. The official said the descent has likely marked the end of the Progress spacecraft’s mission although the Russian authorities will contact it again to make sure everything has been done to rescue it. The ship had been scheduled to dock with the ISS, where the international crew of six people is awaiting the cargo, on April 30. If it cannot be manoeuvred, at some point it will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and incinerate. If that happens, it would be the second station cargo ship lost in the past six months. A US Cygnus freighter, owned and operated by Orbital ATK , was destroyed in a launch accident in October. Progress carries 2769 kilograms of cargo, including 880 kilograms of fuel plus spare parts, experiment hardware and other supplies.
Out-of-control Russian cargo ship plunging to Earth
