Cargo spacecraft "Progress M1-5"

Mission:

• Used to de-orbit the Mir Complex on March 23, 2001.
  
• The Mir station had a power failure on Jan 18, 2001 delaying the launch of the Progress cargo ship that was to deorbit it for a few days.
• Progress No. 254, post launch name Progress M1-5, was launched on Jan 24, 2001. The Progress carries 2677 kg of fuel, total launch mass is probably around 7300 kg. A special 3-day fuel-economy approach was be used to keep as much fuel as possibile for the deorbit, scheduled for Mar 6. Progress M1-5 docked with the +X Kvant port at 0533 UTC on Jan 27.
• Progress M-43 undocked at 0519 UTC on Jan 25 from the same port and on Jan 29 was in a 271 x 280 km x 51.6 deg orbit.
• On Jan 29, Mir was in a 90.41 min, 284 x 305 km x 51.6 deg orbit. Since Jan 5, when it dipped below its Jan 2000 orbit, it has been lower in average height than at any time since orbit insertion in 1986. In mid-January its perigee dipped below the Nov 1987 record of 286 km.
• On Feb 8, Mir was in a 275 x 296 km x 51.6 deg orbit. Perigee has been decreasing at about 1 km/day.
• On Feb 12, the Mir complex was in a 272 x 293 km orbit.
• The Mir complex was in a 253 x 269 km x 51.6 deg orbit on Mar 3.
• On Mar 19 Mir was in a 224 x 230 km x 51.6 deg orbit. On Mar 23 at 0033 UTC Progress M1-5 carried out the first small DPO burn to lower Mir's orbit from 212 x 218 km to 190 x 219 km. A second small burn began at 0201 UTC and put Mir in a 150 x 215 km orbit. The main deorbit burn began at 0507 UTC, lowering perigee to less than 80 km. At 0550 UTC observers in Fiji reported seeing multiple bright reentry bodies passing overhead, confirming that the station had broken up by that time. The impact zone is around 160W 40S.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel ?? and special Baikonur cancel, send registrated.

Docking cancel Korolev, send registrated.