Roscosmos finally approves ISS module Nauka for launch
After successfully completing its last ground tests, Roscosmos announced today that it has finally approved the launch on July 15th of its next module for ISS, dubbed Nauka.
Nauka’s long road to space began more than a quarter of a century ago, in 1995, with this year’s launch about fourteen years behind schedule. An engineer who started working on Nauka after graduation at the age of 25 would now be a grizzled veteran of 51 and looking forward to retirement in only a few years.
The module will provide the Russian half of ISS a second restroom, greater oxygen and water recycling capacity, and room for a third resident, all necessary additions for the planned two commercial tourist launches Russia has scheduled for the fall.
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After successfully completing its last ground tests, Roscosmos announced today that it has finally approved the launch on July 15th of its next module for ISS, dubbed Nauka.
Nauka’s long road to space began more than a quarter of a century ago, in 1995, with this year’s launch about fourteen years behind schedule. An engineer who started working on Nauka after graduation at the age of 25 would now be a grizzled veteran of 51 and looking forward to retirement in only a few years.
The module will provide the Russian half of ISS a second restroom, greater oxygen and water recycling capacity, and room for a third resident, all necessary additions for the planned two commercial tourist launches Russia has scheduled for the fall.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
I think we can safely conclude that Russia will not be pulling out of ISS in 2024. They would save this module for a new station if that was their intent.
Jim Davis: Don’t be so sure. Nauka is about as old as Zvezda, the module on ISS that appears to have structural stress fractures. Russia would likely not want to use it on a new station.
Their problem for leaving ISS is money. They want to leave and build their own station, but they don’t have the cash any longer to pay for it. Thus their continuing effort to partner with either the U.S. or China on future projects. We are their sugar daddy.
Jim Davis: The Russians have been mulling three basic approaches to their next station:
1. Separate the most functional of their current modules from the IIS after 2024, and add enough new modules to make it work.
2. Divert some of the ISS modules that they have in production but not yet launched, upgrade them a bit, and use those as the core of a new station.
3. Send the in-production modules to ISS as planned and build a new station from scratch.
As of the last meeting a month or so ago, it seems they like something between 2 and 3, where some of the modules in production will go to ISS, but others will get repurposed and used as the core of a new station, which will be at a very different inclination than the IIS is, preventing the re-use of anything currently at IIS.
But as Robert says, the plans and designs that come out of their meetings are one thing, their budget is another. They have plans for a new space station, plans for manned lunar expeditions, plans for multiple new rockets, plans for advanced reusability, plans for upgrades to their launch facilities, and the budget to do MAYBE one of those things.
Maybe the Russians want to sell off their segments to NASA or to private business or another MirCorp and sell Progress services for orbit boosting?
I think David Eastman’s number one assessment will come true: I don’t think the Russians will put up their own station unless they break off their portion from the ISS.