MIRNEWS.317    25 JULY 1996

Progress-M32:

The launch of this freighter has been postponed.
A few seconds before blast off the controlsystem
discovered an irregularity in one of the
systems of the carrier Soyuz-U and stopped the operation.
An inquiry into the cause of the failure is going on.
Depending on this inquiry the decision for the second
launch attempt will be made.

Towards the planned launchtime (24.07 at abt. 2247UTC)
the MIR station was in visual range of Baykonur and the
crew hoped to see the start. So they did not see
anything and during the pass in orbit 59591 (0500-0512UTC)
Onufriyenko asked TsUP why the launch has been postponed.

Meanwhile the cosmonauts continue the preparations for
the departure of the freighter Pr-M31, still docked to
the station. They are loading the Pr-M31 with things
they do not longer need . Pr-M31 remains docked at the
station until the 2d day of the flight of Pr-M32 when it
is obvious that the systems of that freighter are
functioning normally.

Soyuz-TM24:

About this ship with the reliefcrew Manakov
and Vinogradov and the French spacionaute Claudie Andre-
Deshays there will be a press-conference in Ts.P.K.
(Starcity) on 26.07.1996. Undoubtedly the failure of the
Soyuz-U rocket will be discussed there and we hope to
get information about the eventual launch of S-TM24 on
14.08.1996.

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.