The reason for the February failure in the docking of the Progress MS-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) was poor-quality resin, a source in the rocket and space industry told RIA Novosti. The resin is used to glue the inner surface of the rocket fairing. The head fairing is needed to protect against high-speed pressure during launching into orbit.
“The video cameras installed in the head fairing of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket showed a comprehensive picture. The commission found out that an unstable resin from a third-party supplier was used in the manufacture of fairings, – said the interlocutor of the agency. – On the recommendation of the commission, the requirements for production quality control have been tightened. In addition, the fairings that have already been manufactured have been modified, and in the production of new ones, this design feature will be changed. “
Earlier, a source of the agency in the rocket and space industry said that difficulties in docking with the ISS in February arose due to damage to the antenna and elements of the Kurs-NA system during the launch of the launch fairing during the launch of the spacecraft into orbit.
This is not the first time that problems have arisen due to the rocket fairing, a similar incident occurred in July 2020. After that, Roskosmos announced plans to make “a number of minor modifications” to the design of the Progress fairing.
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