Progress M-56 (Russian: Прогресс М-56), identified by NASA as Progress 21P, was a Progress spacecraft used to resupply the International Space Station. It was a Progress-M 11F615A55 spacecraft, with the serial number 356.[1]
 Progress M-56 approaching the ISS. | |
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | Roskosmos |
| COSPAR ID | 2006-013A |
| SATCAT no. | 29057 |
| Mission duration | 148 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Progress-M s/n 356 |
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 April 2006, 16:03:25 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-U |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 19 September 2006, 04:14:40 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 337 km |
| Apogee altitude | 348 km |
| Inclination | 51.6° |
| Period | 91.4 minutes |
| Epoch | 24 April 2006 |
| Docking with ISS | |
| Docking port | Zvezda aft |
| Docking date | 26 April 2006, 17:41:31 UTC |
| Undocking date | 19 September 2006, 00:28:17 UTC |
| Time docked | 146 days |
| Cargo | |
| Mass | 2600 kg |
Progress ISS Resupply | |
Launch
Progress M-56 was launched by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Launch occurred at 16:03:25 UTC on 24 April 2006.[1] Also carried to the ISS was an experimental MIT students-built picosatellite, named SPHERE, that will float inside the station, strictly maintaining its location inside.
Docking
The spacecraft docked with the aft port of the Zvezda module at 17:41:31 UTC on 26 April 2006.[2][3] It remained docked for 146 days before undocking at 00:28:17 UTC on 19 September 2006[2] to make way for Soyuz TMA-9.[4] It was deorbited at 03:28 UTC on 19 September 2006.[2] The spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, with any remaining debris landing in the ocean at around 04:14:40 UTC.[2][5]
Progress M-56 carried supplies to the International Space Station, including food, water and oxygen for the crew and equipment for conducting scientific research.
