Russia Writes Off Progress 59 Spacecraft, Expects it to Burn Up in Atmosphere

After several failed communication attempts, unmanned Russian supply mission Progress 59 is spinning uncontrollably in the atmosphere. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, expects the $50 billion spacecraft and its payload to burn up completely in Earth's atmosphere next week.

Progress 59 launched on a Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan on Tuesday, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of supplies bound for the International Space Station. NASA has stated that all of the supplies on board are "replaceable".

Following separation from the Soyuz rocket, flight controllers could not confirm whether the spacecraft's navigational antennae had deployed. Roscosmos has been unable to establish two-way contact with the spacecraft.

The ISS crew's daily operations will not be affected by the missing supplies; the ISS is stocked with months of food and water. The next resupply mission, SpaceX's CSR-7, is currently slated for mid-June.