With no change to the previously announced de-orbit strategy announced , MIR de-orbit and re-entry are confirmed for Friday 23 March, assuming no off-nominal situations arise in the meantime.

Re-entry and splashdown times have been refined as follows:

Entry into atmosphere : 06:43 CET
Splashdown : 06:59 CET

 

Russian experts from all organisations involved in the MIR de-orbit met in TsUP on Monday 19 March to make a final review of the revised de-orbit strategy, proposing an assumed re-entry on Thursday 22 March. While this revised strategy was confirmed, a 24 hour delay in its execution was recommended and endorsed by the special Commission due to a slower than expected natural decay rate in the station's altitude.

Currently MIR remains in its slow rotation mode, power generation is nominal and pressure inside the station and all onboard systems is also nominal. Moscow Mission Control (TsUP) continues to monitor the health of on-board systems during each communications pass over Russian territory.

The revised strategy is repeated below:  
 
Re-entry timeline
 
The station’s altitude will be allowed to decay naturally to ~ 220km, which is currently expected to be reached early on Friday 23 March. When this altitude is reached, the attitude control system of Progress M1-5 will be activated and the station will be manoeuvred into its final de-orbit attitude and orientation (i.e. Progress M1-5 ahead).

The final series of 3 de-orbit burns will be executed on Friday 23 March:

• Start of 1st burn at ~ 03:32:47 - 03:53:38 Moscow time (00:32:47 - 00:53:38 UT). Impulse: 8.96 m/s

• Start of 2nd burn, on the next orbit at ~ 05:01:11 - 05:24:25 Moscow time (02:01:11 - 02:24:25 UT). Impulse: 10.08 m/s

• Start of 3rd and final burn, two orbits later at 08:09:22 - 08:31:38 Moscow time (05:09:22 - 05:31:38 UT). Impulse: 25 m/s

The first two burns will use only the Progress attitude control thrusters burning Progress propellant and the final burn will use the Progress main engine and attitude control thrusters burning Progress and Mir propellant. The primary control of the station’s attitude during de-orbit and re-entry will be by its own attitude control thrusters. The combined effect of the 3 burns is expected to drive the orbit perigee altitude down to approximately 82 km above the nominal impact aim point.

Re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere is expected to take place at around 08:43 Moscow Time (05:43 UT), with 'splashdown' predicted at around 08:59 Moscow time (05:59 UT) in the area of the previously announced target impact point of 47° south/140° west with its surrounding debris impact footprint.