Progress MS-03/ISS-64P was undocked from the International Space Station’s (ISS) Pirs module at 1425 GMT on 31 January 2017. Bright lights from the External Television Camera Groups (ETVCGs) were left on to see if this made in-orbit remote control manoeuvres and general situational awareness easier.
The craft made a deorbit burn of its engine at 1735 GMT and re-entered into the Earth’s atmosphere. Its fiery re-entry was imaged by astronauts on the International Space Station. The spacecraft mainly burned up with any surviving fragments safely falling into the Southern Pacific at 1824 GMT.
Progress MS-03 re-entry was imaged by ISS astronauts. Courtesy: NASA
This re-entry event was followed by another. For while its post-ISS release, tether-aided re-entry test had not gone to plan, the Japanese HTV-6 (Kounotori-6) cargo craft which had been released on 27 January, was deliberately deorbited on 5 February, re-entering to destruction over the Pacific at 1506 GMT. (All times above from Jonathan McDowell).
