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Russia's failed Progress spacecraft plunges into the Pacific Ocean
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An unmanned Russian spaceship drifting in orbit after a failed cargo run to the International Space Station plunged into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, Russia’s space agency reported.
This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
The capsule, loaded with more than three tonnes of food, fuel and supplies for the station crew, fell from orbit at 2.04am GMT, space agency Roscosmos said.
At the time, the Progress 59 spacecraft was flying over the central Pacific Ocean, it said.
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Most of the spacecraft was expected to burn up during its high-speed descent through the atmosphere, but small pieces of the structure could have survived and splashed down in the ocean.
Related: Russia's Progress cargo spacecraft set to crash to Earth
Roscosmos said earlier on Thursday that “only a few small pieces of structural elements could reach the planet’s surface” – similar to what happens at the end of routine Progress cargo missions.
The freighter was launched on 28 April from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but never made it to the station, a $100bn research laboratory that flies about 418km above the Earth.
Ground controllers lost contact with the Progress spaceship shortly after it separated from the upper stage of its Soyuz rocket, about nine minutes after launch.
An investigation into the failed mission is under way, Roscosmos said. Russia has flown 62 Progress spacecraft to the station to deliver modules and cargo, two of which have not been successful.
Various versions of the Progress freighters have been flying since 1978, supporting previous Soviet-era stations including Salyut 6, Salyut 7 and Mir. The capsules are designed to burn up in the atmosphere after delivering their cargo.
The US hired privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, and Orbital ATK to fly cargo to the station after the space shuttles were retired in 2011. SpaceX’s missions have all been successful.
Orbital lost a cargo ship in October after a failed launch. Europe flew five ATV freighters to the station, all successfully, but has no plans to fly any more. Japan is preparing for its fifth HTV cargo flight in August.
