BAIKONUR COSMODROME /Kazakhstan/, July 21. /TASS/: Russia’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory module has successfully separated from the upper stage of the Proton-M carrier rocket, the presenter announced at the Baikonur spaceport.
"The Nauka module has separated from the third stage of the carrier rocket," the presenter said.
A Proton-M launch vehicle with the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:58 p.m. Moscow time on July 21.
The Nauka module will now ignite its engines to approach the International Space Station (ISS). The module will travel for eight days to arrive at the ISS docking port. The docking is scheduled for 4:26 p.m. Moscow time on July 29.
About the new module
The Nauka multi-functional laboratory module is designated for implementing the Russian program of applied research and experiments. With the launch of the Nauka research module into operation, the Russian segment of the International Space Station will get additional space for equipping workplaces, storing cargoes and accommodating water and oxygen regeneration equipment.
The Nauka module will provide a second toilet for Russian cosmonauts (the first is located in the Zvezda module) and a room for a third crewmember. It will also use the European Robotic Arm (ERA) that will help perform some operations without spacewalks. The Nauka module will deliver water containers, handrails, ventilators, cables and other cargo to the ISS.
The Proton-M is a Russian expendable launch vehicle that belongs to the family of Proton carrier rockets developed in the early 1960s. Proton rockets are used to deliver various space vehicles into outer space, including navigational, military and commercial satellites and interplanetary automatic stations.