August 2, 2021
Categories: ISS, JAXA, MCC, NASA, Roscosmos, Russia, Space

As follows from negotiations between the ISS crew and MCC streamed by NASA on Monday Russian cosmonauts working aboard the station start unloading Nauka multipurpose laboratory module .

The module was launched from Baikonur by Proton-M booster on July 21 and on Jule 29 docked to Zvezda module of Russian ISS segment. The crew opened the hatch on July 30.

“Then today we’ll start unloading the module earlier”, – Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky said to Mission Control Centre specialist.

On Saturday he posted a video showing that the module is still full of the payloads it delivered to the ISS.

The construction of Nauka started in 1995. Initially Nauka was designed as a ground-based replica of Zarya module. In 2004 it was decided to save money on the construction of new Russian ISS compartment and re-equip the replica turning it into a real module. The launch primarily was planned for 2007 but due to various financial and technical reasons was delayed by 14 years.

Nauka is equipped with sleeping compartment, lavatory, oxygen regeneration system and water recovery system. Besides it has an airlock chamber to install equipment on the outer surface of the station and European ERA manipulator.

The 65thmission crew working aboard the ISS at the present time comprises Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, American astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Sean Kimbrough and Megan MacArthur and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide (ISS mission commander)  and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Currently there are five Russian  modules in space: Zarya functional cargo block (its construction was funded by NASA and belongs to NASA, launched in 1998), Zvezda service module (2000), small research modules Poisk (2009) and Rassvet (2010) and Nauka multipurpose laboratory module (2021).

Prichal docking module  launch is planned for November 2021.

More from this category:
November 14, 2014

Soyuz TMA-15M main and back-up crew members have already had the first training onboard the spacecraft in the integration building of 254 launchpad. In the…

full story
March 6, 2019

The specialists of the RSC “Energia” at the Baikonur cosmodrome continue to work on the preparation for the flight of the space rocket with the…

full story
January 30, 2015

Three Express satellites are planned to be launched this year, – Space Communications Federal State Unitary Enterprise Deputy Director General Evgeny Buidinov. Express-AM7 is the…

full story
August 10, 2015

Interdepartmental Commission approved main and back-up crews of new ISS mission for the flight, – GCTC spokesman reported. The main crew comprises: Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey…

full story
January 10, 2022

We are glad to announce first zero-g flight dates for the next year: April 14 and April 28. Group admission is on! Zero-g flight aboard…

full story
July 8, 2015

On July 8, 2015, in GCTC Interdepartmental Commission approved next ISS crew to go to the station onboard Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft. The main crew comprises…

full story
June 5, 2015

The first Proton-M booster launched after spring accident may orbit Russian Express telecommunication satellite, – Roscosmos Head Igor Komarov told the journalists. “Late this week…

full story
July 22, 2014

According to prelaunch preparations schedule Soyuz-U with Progress M-24M cargo vehicle was rolled out to #1 launching pad of Baikonur spaceport (Gagarin launch). The launch…

full story