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The VBK-Raduga capsule is a reentry capsule that was used for returning materials to Earth's surface from the space station Mir. They were brought to Mir in the Progress-M cargo craft's dry cargo compartment. For return, the capsule would be substituted for the Progress' docking probe before it left the space station, and then after the Progress-M performed its deorbit burn the capsule was ejected at 120 km altitude to reenter the atmosphere independently. It would then parachute to a landing area in Russia.
Each Raduga is about 1.5 m long, is 60 cm in diameter, and has a mass of about 350 kg empty. It can bring about 150 kg of cargo back to Earth. Use of the Raduga reduces Progress-M's cargo capacity by about 100 kg, to a maximum of about 2400 kg.
The European Space Agency is currently studying a very similar system, called PARES, for use in combination with the Automated Transfer Vehicle.
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