Progress M1-5

Progress M1-5

A Progress-M1 spacecraft
Mission type	Mir deorbit
Operator	Rosaviakosmos[1]
COSPAR ID	2001-003A
SATCAT no.	26688
Mission duration	2 months
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Progress-M1 254
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Launch mass	7,082 kg (15,613 lb)[2]
Start of mission
Launch date	24 January 2001, 04:28:42 (2001-01-24UTC04:28:42Z) UTC
Rocket	Soyuz-U
Launch site	Baikonur Site 1/5
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	23 March 2001, 05:59:24 (2001-03-23UTC05:59:25Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	256 kilometres (159 mi)
Apogee altitude	282 kilometres (175 mi)
Inclination	51.6 degrees
Period	89.89 minutes
Epoch	26 January 2001[3]
Docking with Mir
Docking port	Kvant-1 aft
Docking date	27 January 2001, 05:33:31 UTC
Time docked	2 months
Cargo
Fuel	2,678 kilograms (5,904 lb)[a]
Progress flights ← Progress M1-4 Progress M-44 →

Progress M1-5 was the Progress spacecraft which was launched by Russia in 2001 to deorbit the fifteen-year-old Mir space station in a controlled fashion over a remote ocean area, far away from shipping lanes - otherwise Mir's orbit would have decayed uncontrolled over time (like e.g. Skylab), with debris potentially landing in a populated area. The Russian Aviation and Space Agency, Rosaviakosmos, was responsible for the mission.

Launched in January 2001 after a short delay due to a problem with Mir, on 27 January Progress M1-5 became the last spacecraft to dock with the station. It spent two months attached to the Kvant-1 module before deorbiting the station on 23 March 2001. Mir re-entered the atmosphere with Progress M1-5 still docked, disintegrating over the Pacific Ocean, with debris falling into the ocean at around 06:00 GMT. During the early stages of the uncrewed Progress M1-5 mission, a crewed Soyuz was placed on standby to launch in order to complete the mission if a problem occurred. The decision to deorbit Mir attracted both praise and criticism for Rosaviakosmos, while several campaigns to save the station were conducted.

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