On Monday, the Progress M-22M cargo spacecraft docked with the ISS will be sent on a monitored independent flight until 18 April to take part in the Radar-Progress scientific experiment, the mission control centre told RIA Novosti.

The undocking is scheduled for 17:58 pm Moscow time (13:58 GMT) on 7 April. At 19:43 pm Moscow time (15:43 GMT) on 18 April the spacecraft is expected to leave the orbit and sink in a specific sector of the Pacific Ocean.

The Radar-Progress experiment will be set up by the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Korolyov Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, and the TsNIIMash mission control centre.

During the test runs it is planned to measure the density, temperature and ionic composition of the ionosphere determined by the work of the spacecraft engines depending on the direction of solar emission.

The engine unit of a Progress M-17M spacecraft, USB radio equipment and a complex of ground radio-tracking facilities will be used in the Radar-Progress experiment.

Source: Voice of Russia