Variations of the Transport Spacecraft “Progress” radar characteristics connected with the orbital maneuvering subsystem run

In this paper we study the Transport Spacecraft (TSC) "Progress" radar characteristic variations emerging due to the onboard thrusters run. Measurements were taken at the Irkutsk Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) in the 154-162 MHz range. The results of experiments showed significant variations of radar characteristics especially at emitting of exhaust jets towards the radar. The most sensitive parameter is the antenna angle of the TSC elevation.