NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Even as new U.S. commercial resupply vehicles enter service, the Progress cargo transfer vehicle fills an important resupply role for the International Space Station (ISS) and its crews. All essentials for life, as well as scientific experiments, must be delivered to the crew aboard the space station. The Progress joins SpaceX's Dragon, Orbital ATK's Cygnus, and MHI's HTV in delivering that important cargo to the ISS. The Progress also serves as an important backup to other cargo vehicles, as demonstrated in 2015 when both the Dragon and Cygnus suffered launch failures.
However, the Progress itself suffered a launch failure in December 2016. Russia's space industry has had difficulty in recent years with reliability and the Progress, which rides into space aboard the Soyuz launch vehicle, has had problems as well.
Still, the Progress will continue to fulfill Russia's obligations to resupply the space station. Russia continues to upgrade the spacecraft, with the latest variant launching in late 2015.
At one point, Russian officials suggested they would replace the Progress with a new cargo transfer vehicle. However, it now appears that Moscow will continue to update the Progress in an incremental fashion.
These updates ensure that Progress production will continue through the life of the ISS. Once ISS operations end in 2024, Russia will likely find another role for its venerable Progress cargo vehicle. Production will continue at about three per year during the life of the ISS and will drop down to about two per year after.
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