Russian cargo ship falters soon after launch, crashes back to Earth

In a freak mishap, which yesterday, a Russian cargo ship, the Progress M-12M/44P  with around three ton of supplies meant for the International Space Station (ISS) lost all contact with the Mission Control Moscow just five minutes and 50 seconds after it lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The ISS Progress 44 spacecraft placed on the Soyuz-U booster launched as per its schedule at 9 a.m. EDT Wednesday from Baikonur Cosmodrome (7 p.m. Baikonur time). However, as per reports, just minutes later the Mission Control Moscow revealed that it had lost all contact with the unmanned spacecraft, and that the 3 tons worth of supplies crashed back to the Earth. Reports suggest that the supplies are believed to have been found at Altai Republic, part of the Russian Federation, near the border with Mongolia.

The ill-fated Progress 44 (Image credit: Credit: Roscosmos TV)

Needless to say, this mishap, which is the second one in a row could create complications for the Russian space program. At the Johnson Space Center, Houston, ISS Program Manager, Michael Suffredini, will discuss the mishap, and how much would it affect the program and the crew preparing for it. The ISS, for now, is said to be well stocked with supplies and that the station itself was in a good shape.