Progress M-31 (Russian: Прогресс M-31) was a Russian unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft, which was launched in May 1996 to resupply the Mir space station.
 A Progress-M spacecraft | |
| Mission type | Mir resupply |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1996-028A |
| SATCAT no. | 23860[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Progress (No.231) |
| Spacecraft type | Progress-M[2] |
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 May 1996, 07:04:18 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Soyuz-U[2] |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 1 August 1996, 20:33:03 UTC[3] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 186 km[4] |
| Apogee altitude | 227 km[4] |
| Inclination | 51.6°[4] |
| Period | 88.6 minutes[4] |
| Epoch | 5 May 1996 |
| Docking with Mir | |
| Docking port | Mir Core Module forward[4] |
| Docking date | 7 May 1996, 08:54:19 UTC |
| Undocking date | 1 August 1996, 16:44:54 UTC |
Launch
Progress M-31 launched on 5 May 1996 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It used a Soyuz-U rocket.[2][5]
Docking
Progress M-31 docked with the forward port of the Mir Core Module on 7 May 1996 at 08:54:19 UTC, and was undocked on 1 August 1996 at 16:44:54 UTC.[3][4]
Decay
It remained in orbit until 1 August 1996, when it was deorbited. The deorbit burn occurred at 19:44:30 UTC and the mission ended at 20:33:03 UTC.[3][4]
