The Progress MS-33 cargo ship successfully docked with the International Space Station, despite a malfunction in the automation system. The launch took place on March 22 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome using a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, and on the evening of March 24, the ship docked with the Poisk module.
The reason for the deviation from the standard scenario was a non-deployed antenna, necessary for the automatic completion of the approach, which meant that control had to be transferred to the station's crew.
ISS Commander Sergei Kud-Sverchkov reported that the cosmonauts had practiced actions in abnormal situations in advance and were ready to switch to manual mode. After the ship independently approached to a distance of about 180 meters and stopped, the crew used the TORU (Teleoperator Control Mode) system to complete the maneuver.
The ship responded clearly to the deflection of the handles, everything was almost like on a simulator. Numerous training sessions and good interaction with the MCC led to the fact that, if there was any excitement, it was small and only at the beginning of the control. Everything went according to plan, albeit not according to the original one.
The Progress delivered about 2.5 tons of useful cargo for the operation of the station and the crew of the ISS-74 expedition. Among the materials sent were equipment for the "Sun-Terahertz" experiment, fuel reserves for orbit correction, drinking water, and oxygen to maintain the atmosphere. All scientific and technical cargo was successfully transferred to the station after the pressurization of the transfer compartment.
