The final stage of the pre-flight preparation of the Transport Cargo Ship “Progress MS-17” continues on the Baikonur cosmodrome. In the installation and test case of the site No. 254, a planned operation of the control illustration of solar panels of the ship power supply system was held.
With terrestrial testing of the functioning of solar panels, specialists of the Rocket and Space Corporation “Energy” named after S.P. The Queen and Space Center “South” (a branch of the center of exploitation of ground-based space infrastructure facilities are included in the state corporation “Roskosmos”) performed a regular deployment of sections of the photocells and their irradiation with powerful lamps to control the efficiency of solar energy transformation into electric.
In addition, the tests checked the tightness of the hydrogen system of the water supply system “Rodnik”, conducted a regular disinfection of the ship’s cargo compartment and began loading equipment and materials intended for delivery on board an international space station.
Start of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier missile with the MS-17 Progress Cargo Ship on the ISS 78th Mission program is scheduled for June 2021 from Baikonur cosmodrome.