Progress spacecraft to be sunk in Pacific on September 7

MOSCOW, August 30 (RIA Novosti) - A Progress M-53 spaceship loaded with rubbish from the International Space Station will be undocked from it on September 7 and then sunk in the Pacific Ocean, an official with Russian Mission Control said Tuesday.

"The undocking has been preliminarily scheduled for 2.23 p.m. Moscow time (10.23 a.m. GMT)," the expert said. "The spacecraft will slow down using its own boosters. Elements that do not burn up [in the atmosphere] will sink in the target area in the Pacific at 6.13 p.m. Moscow time (2.13 p.m. GMT)."

The spaceship will not be used as a research lab, as has previously been the case. A Progress M-51, for example, was undocked from the ISS and then used for testing new programs close to the ISS before being sunk.

A new cargo spacecraft will be launched to the ISS at 5.08 pm Moscow time (1.08 pm GMT) on September 8, and docked to the ISS at 6.49 pm Moscow time (2.49 GMT) on September 10.