Experiments, Exploration, News, Space

Space module Nauka

The new Russian space laboratory Nauka arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). The module’s name means “science” in Russian.

Source: RT

The much-awaited multifunctional laboratory module Nauka has successfully arrived and docked at the International Space Station. It is the first segment sent by Russia to the planet’s only inhabited satellite in over a decade.

Nauka, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 21, replaces the almost 20-year-old Pirs module. Pirs undocked from the ISS on Monday, ahead of Nauka’s arrival, and was taken down to the Earth’s atmosphere for a destructive re-entry. The non-flammable elements were submerged in the South Pacific Ocean.

The new module arrived on Thursday afternoon. It will now take astronauts multiple spacewalks to fully connect the new segment to the rest of the International Space Station (ISS), in a process that will take months.

Nauka, which will be used for experiments, can also generate oxygen for six people and regenerate water from urine. It also provides a second toilet for Russian cosmonauts and will be able to accommodate a third crew member. Attached to the module is a European Robotic Arm that can help install and replace station components without the need to perform a spacewalk.

An example of a European robotic arm. Source: ESA.

Earlier this year, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, revealed that Moscow would withdraw from the ISS project in 2025 and create its own space station if the US continued to impose sanctions against the Russian space sector. President Vladimir Putin has already signed off on a project for a Russian-only orbital station, which will consist of three to seven modules.

Additional information about Nauka

Source: DUK News.

The module was launched by a 3-stage Proton-M heavy rocket. Predicted operation time on ISS is 15 years. The module will also serves as a docking point for spaceships Progress MS, Soyuz MS and the nodal module Prishal. Nauka’s physical features:

  • Weight in orbit: 20,350 kg.
  • Length: 13.12 m.
  • Maximum diameter: 4.25 m.
  • Volume of sealed compartments: 70 m³.
  • Photovoltaic panels area: 56 m².
  • Power supply capacity: 2,5 kW.

About Pedro Ney Stroski

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