Nauka (ISS module)
Nauka (Russian: Наука, IPA: [nɐˈukə], litt. Science), also known as the Multipurpose Laboratory Module-Upgrade (MLM-U; Russian: Многоцелевой лабораторный модуль, усоверше́нствованный, or МЛМ-У) or simply Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM), is a module of the International Space Station (ISS). The MLM-U is funded by Roscosmos. In the original ISS plans, Nauka was to use the location of the Docking and Storage Module (DSM). Later, the DSM was replaced by the Rassvet module and Nauka was moved from Zarya's nadir port to Zvezda's nadir port.
Forward view of Nauka and attached to it from the Cupola, during the Russian VKD-51 spacewalk in January 2022. | |
| Module statistics | |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2021-066A |
| Part of | International Space Station |
| Launch date | 21 July 2021, 14:58:25 UTC (2 years, 6 months and 23 days ago) |
| Launch vehicle | Proton-M |
| Docked | 29 July 2021, 13:29:01 UTC |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 13.12 m (43.0 ft) |
| Width | ~30 m (98 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.25 m (13.9 ft) |
| Pressurised volume |
|
| Configuration | |
Diagram of Nauka's forward and aft exterior, with the European Robotic Arm in purple. | |
| External image | |
|---|---|
| Nauka module launch logo |
The launch of Nauka, initially planned for 2007, was repeatedly delayed. By May 2020, Nauka was reported to be planned for launch in the second quarter of 2021, after which the manufacturer's warranties of some of Nauka's components, such as engines, would have expired. Nauka was finally launched on 21 July 2021, 14:58 UTC, along with the European Robotic Arm, and successfully docked on 29 July 2021, 13:29 UTC, to Zvezda's nadir port, making it the first major expansion of the Russian ISS segment in over 20 years. After Nauka docked, it began firing its engine thrusters in error, causing the entire space station to make one and a half full rotations before the thrusters ran out of fuel, enabling ground controllers to stop the rotation and the crew to get it back to its original position an hour later. According to NASA, the ISS crew was never in danger.