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ballistic return capsule lowers Progress-M cargo capacity by about 100 kg, to a maximum of about 2400 kg. Progress-M 5 carried the first Raduga capsule. Ability to dock and transfer propellant at the Mir front port.

Ability to transfer excess propellant (up to 200 kg) in Progress-M service module to Mir, or transfer propellant from Mir to Progress-M service module. Kurs rendezvous and docking system (same as Soyuz-TM).

Solar arrays like those on Soyuz-TM. While docked, its solar arrays augment Mir’s electrical supply.

1.11.3 Progress-M Mission Descriptions

All Progress-M resupply ships docked with Mir. For information on Mir operations during these Progresss missions, see sections 2.9.3.5 through 2.9.3.18. Dates are launch to reentry.

	Progress-M 1	August 23-December 1, 1989
	First Progress-type vehicle to dock at the front port of a Soviet space station.

	Progress-M 2	December 20, 1989-February 9, 1990
	Delivered to Mir a protein crystal growth experiment built by Payload Systems, Inc., a private U.S. firm.

Progress-M 3

February 28-April 28, 1990

	Progress-M 4	August 15-September 20, 1990
	After unloading its cargo and loading the cargo compartment with refuse, the Mir cosmonauts installed on Progress-M 4’s docking unit a device for producing plasma. After undocking from Mir’s front port, Progress-M 4 spent 3 days releasing plasma, while the cosmonauts on Mir observed and recorded.

	Progress-M 5	September 27-November 28, 1990
	First Progress-M equipped with a Raduga payload return capsule.

Progress-M 6

January 14-March 15, 1991

	Progress-M 7	March 19-May 7, 1991
	The ability to dock at the front port stood it in good stead when damage to the Kurs antenna at the Mir aft port prevented it from docking there. After Soyuz-TM 11 was moved manually to the rear port, the Progress-M 7 spacecraft moved to the front port and docked there instead. Its Raduga recoverable capsule was lost during reentry.

	Progress-M 8	May 30-August 16, 1991
	Deployed a balloon for experiments after undocking.