The Russian Space Agency's out-of-control space capsule saga ended Thursday as the craft disintegrated while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean.
According to Reuters, Roscosmos mission managers expected the Progress-59 capsule to make its descent sometime late Thursday night or early Friday morning. Aboard the capsule was more than three tons of food and fuel.
"TGK 'Progress M-27M' ceased to exist in 05.04 MSK May 8, 2015. Log into the atmosphere occurred in the coil 160 over the central Pacific Ocean," Roscosmos said in a statement. "The results of investigation of the incident related to the breeding is abnormal TGC 'Progress M-27M' will be presented no later than 13 May following the completion of the state commission."
Russia launched the Progress capsule April 28 from Kazakhstan, but ground control lost communications with it along the way. The spacecraft never docked at the International Space Station (ISS) and Roscosmos was never able to regain communications with Progress.
The space agency said the return to Earth's atmosphere will be quite similar for the capsule than if the mission had been a success, noting "only a few small pieces of structural elements could reach the planet's surface."
ISS crewmembers looking to return to Earth May 14 will have to wait until June as Russia mounts a full investigation into what caused the malfunction, CNN reported. The country's state news agency, TASS, also noted their next planned resupply mission is scheduled for late June or early July.
NASA said in a statement the Progress "spacecraft was not carrying any supplies critical for the United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the station, and the break up and re-entry of the Progress posed no threat to the ISS crew."
