The pre-flight preparation of the MS-18 transport cargo ship continues on the Baikonur cosmodrome. Today, September 23, 2021, in accordance with the schedule of work, the cycle of autonomous tests of the ship was completed in the non-echo chamber of the installation and test case No. 254.
During the day, specialists of enterprises of the state corporation “Roskosmos”: Rocket and Space Corporation “Energy” named after S.P. The Queen and Space Center “South” performed operations to verify the functioning of the Radio Equipment “Course-to”, which provides the convergence and docking of the MS-18 Progress ship with the International Space Station.
The echoam chamber is a specialized room coated with a radio absorbing material in order to simulate the conditions of outer space, for ground-based control of the operations of MS and Soyuz MS transport shovels. After completion of the test, the ship was installed in the dynamic stand of the assembly and test case to prepare for pneumatic testers.
Start of the Soyuz-2.1A carrier missile with the MS-18 Progress Cargo Ship on the ISS 79th program is scheduled for October 2021 from the Baikonur cosmodrome.