Progress cargo vehicles in orbital-station programs(dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the world's first cargo vehicle space flight to an orbital station)

The missions of the first-generation orbital stations have demonstrated that their long-term efficient operation in orbit required regular deliveries of such items as propellant for the propulsion system, consumables and food for the crew, spares for the onboard systems, new hardware for station utilization, etc. In 1973, to achieve these objectives, RSC Energia began to develop a new cargo spacecraft based on the proven design of the Soyuz manned transport vehicle, and the first flight prototype was ready by the end of 1977. The launch of the Progress-1 took place forty years ago on January 20, 1978, and on January 22, 1978, the cargo vehicle docked to the Salyut-6 orbital station thus marking the beginning of many years of successful operation of the Progress cargo transport vehicles (CTV). All Progress vehicles successfully inserted into orbit had docked to the orbital stations and completed their cargo delivery mission. The success of the Progress missions was supported by mission control methodologies developed for these vehicles and enabled reliable performance of transportation tasks even in contingency situations...