The new MLM Nauka module successfully docked to the Zvezda module of the International Space Station.
Nauka (which means "Science" in Russian), also known as Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM), is a new module of the russian segment of the ISS. It will dock at Zvezda's nadir port, replacing the Pirs module occupying it since September 2001. The Nauka module is designed to be used for experiments, docking and cargo as well as serve as a crew work and rest area. It is equipped with full guidance and navigation control including engines and an attitude control system that can be used as a backup by the ISS. The Nauka module also brings the European Robotic Arm, for which a spare elbow joint was already launched in 2010, to the orbital laboratory.
Low Earth OrbitThe International Space Station (ISS) is a space station, or a habitable artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998, with the first long-term residents arriving in November 2000. It has been inhabited continuously since that date. The last pressurised module was fitted in 2011, and an experimental inflatable space habitat was added …