ISS undamaged after unexpected activation of Russia’s Nauka module

Moscow, Aug 4 (Prensa Latina) The Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, on Wednesday informed that the International Space Station (ISS) was not damaged due to the unexpected activation of the engines of the country's Multi-purpose Laboratory Module, named Nauka, during its docking.

August 4, 2021
10:02

The consequences of the incident occurred on July 29 will be assessed by experts, Sergei Krikalev, executive director for manned space programs of Roscosmos, said during an interview for Russia 24 television channel.

‘Nothing broke from the station, I can assure you,’ the cosmonaut and veteran of six space flights commented. However, he warned, ‘every incident counts, it is taken into account in the future,’ he said.

Vladimir Solovyov, flight director of the ISS’s Russian segment, said on July 30 that Nauka’s propulsion system was activated by a brief software failure.

In his statements to Russian television, Krikalev considered the incident as an emergency situation that should be investigated because, as he explained, the ISS ‘is a very delicate device’, designed to make everything work as easily as possible.

Nauka is the first module Russia launched to the ISS since 2010, when the Rassvet (Dawn) made it. The new laboratory is equipped to carry out scientific experiments and research.

pgh/iff/mem/mml/gdc