The departure of Russia’s Pirs module from the International Space Station has been delayed till Saturday (July 24) as engineers proceed to conduct in-flight assessments on its substitute.
The 20-year-old Pirs was scheduled to go away the orbiting lab tomorrow (July 23) to open a slot for the Russian Multipurpose Research Module, also known as Nauka, which launched on Wednesday (July 21). But the 22-ton (20 tonnes) Nauka has skilled just a few points throughout its journey to the orbiting lab, necessitating a change of plans.
“After analyzing telemetry received from the #Nauka module, rocket and space industry specialists decided to schedule the #Pirs module deorbit for Saturday, July 24,” officers with Roscosmos, Russia’s federal space company, said via Twitter today (July 22).
Related: The International Space Station: Inside and out (infographic)
It’s been robust to gauge the character and severity of Nauka’s plight, as a result of Roscosmos hasn’t revealed many particulars thus far. But some data is coming from exterior observers corresponding to Anatoly Zak of RussianSpaceInternet, who reported that Nauka’s fundamental engines haven’t functioned correctly.
“UPDATE: #Nauka’s main engines (pictured in operation) are currently out of commission. Specialists are troubleshooting the issue and developing a backup rendezvous plan. The module has ~30 stable orbits at current altitude,” Zak said via Twitter today.
UPDATE: #Nauka’s fundamental engines (pictured in operation) are at present out of fee. Specialists are troubleshooting the difficulty and growing a backup rendezvous plan. The module has ~30 secure orbits at present altitude. EXCLUSIVE DETAILS: https://t.co/KZE3WlnXSu pic.twitter.com/uEAP4irjyiJuly 22, 2021
The troubleshooting could also be working. “Test activation of the propulsion system of the module #Nauka and the orbit formation impulse were worked out normally,” Roscosmos announced in another tweet today.
The 42-foot-long (13 meters) Nauka, which is scheduled to dock with the station on July 29, isn’t any stranger to adversity. The unique plan for the International Space Station referred to as for the module to launch in 2007, however a sequence of points — together with the invention of metallic chips in its gasoline system — stored pushing again the liftoff.
Nauka is the largest space laboratory that Russia has launched thus far. The module is designed to serve primarily as a analysis facility — “Nauka” is Russian for “science” — however it additionally includes a spare mattress for a cosmonaut and an oxygen-regeneration system, amongst different gear.
Mike Wall is the creator of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a e-book concerning the seek for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
