Russia launches Nauka module to International Space Station
EL PASO, Texas — Russia launched a long-delayed module for its segment of the International Space Station July 21, but that module reportedly suffered technical problems after reaching orbit.
A Proton-M rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10:58 a.m. Eastern carrying the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, or Nauka. The module separated from the rocket’s upper stage about nine and a half minutes after launch. Both Roscosmos and NASA said that Nauka deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas shortly after separation.
Neither agency has provided additional updates on the status of Nauka, but Russian industry sources, posting online, claimed that the module suffered several problems after reaching orbit. Those problems included the inability to confirm that an antenna and docking target deployed as expected, as well as issues with infrared sensors and thrusters. It wasn’t immediately clear how serious the problems were and if they would affect plans for docking.
Nauka, Russian for “science,” is the first module (excluding airlocks and docking adapters) added to the ISS since the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module in 2016. The module, 13 meters long and weighing more than 23,000 kilograms at launch, includes crew accommodations, attitude control systems for the station, research facilities and cargo stowage. Attached to the exterior of the station is the European Robotic Arm by the European Space Agency, a manipulator 11 meters long designed to service the Russian segment of the station.
