Unmanned Russian Cargo Ship Redocks to Station In Test of Upgraded Rendezvous System
The unpiloted Russian cargo ship, ISS Progress 47, redocked to the International Space Station July 28 after completing tests of an upgraded rendezvous system designed to facilitate future automated dockings to the orbital outpost. Progress 47 linked up to the Pirs Docking Compartment after an initial attempt on July 23 was aborted due to a problem with the new system. The Progress, which is loaded with trash and items no longer needed on the station, will undock for good on July 30 and will depart the vicinity of the station for several weeks of tests by ground controllers before being sent into a destructive reentry over the Pacific Ocean in late August.
