October 02, 2020

Let's Take a Walk... in Space


Let's Take a Walk... in Space
Preparing for equipment exchanges is no walk in the park. Image by NASA via Flickr

Russian astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are currently preparing for some upcoming changes. In order to do this, there will be two spacewalks scheduled for November of this year and February of next year, to get rid of old equipment before new items are brought up in April 2021.

According to Sergey Romanov, first deputy general director of the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia, “The second walk on this subject is scheduled for February 2021. It is a very serious walk.” During the spacewalks, the astronauts will prepare to undock the Pirs module. This module will be replaced with the Nauka (“Science”) laboratory module next April.

Currently, the Pirs module is connected to the Zvezda module. It will be undocked and then launched into the Pacific Ocean with the help of the Progress transport cargo vehicle. The new Nauka module is currently at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where it is being checked and tested ahead of its launch next spring.

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