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Progress spacecraft undocks from ISS, becomes space lab

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MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - The Progress M-62 space cargo ship was undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday and temporarily turned into a space lab, a Mission Control spokesman said.

"The Progress M-62 was undocked from the ISS at 1:32 p.m. Moscow time [10.32 a.m. GMT], but will not be de-orbited at once," Valery Lyndin said. "It will be temporarily turned into a test lab before being buried at the 'spacecraft cemetery' in the Pacific."

The spacecraft arrived at the ISS in December last year, delivering 1.26 metric tons of food and water for the crew, as well as fuel to maintain the space station's orbit, and other cargo and research equipment.

The spokesman said the spacecraft would spend two weeks in an autonomous flight after undocking in order to continue the Plasma-Progress experiment started by the Progress M-60 space freighter last September.

The experiment aims to explore the reflective properties, as well as the size and density, of plasma particles formed in the spaceship's exhaust.

The next Russian cargo ship, the Progress M-63, is scheduled for launch from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 1 p.m. GMT on February 5, the spokesman said. It is expected to deliver 2.5 metric tons of cargo to support the operation of the ISS.

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