What technology and logistical strategies were employed to ensure a successful launch of the uncrewed Soyuz MS-23 mission?
The uncrewed Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft has lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in a dramatic mission to deliver a fresh module to the International Space Station.
Purpose of the Mission
The Soyuz MS-23 mission was labelled a “rescue” mission by Russian space commanders as it served two main purposes.
- New Habitation Module Installment – To deliver a new habitation module to the International Space Station. The new module is set to become a permanent part of the station and to provide astronauts living space on the ISS.
- Launch Failure Boeing Crew a Year Ago – The Soyuz MS-23 flight will prepare for the imminent launch of a crew which will head to the ISS. This launch comes a year after Boeing’s launch failure and subsequent plans being stalled.
Features and Components of the Mission
The Soyuz MS-23 features the latest life-support, navigation and communications module as well as a maneuvering engine, which will dock it onto the ISS.
It also features a special experiment designed to test the effect of spaceflight on various materials, including yarn and flax-grown network.
Impact of the Mission
This mission is an important step in the development of the International Space Station as it will allow astronauts to continue living comfortably on the ISS.
The mission will also provide a valuable opportunity to test new materials in microgravity and provide important insights into the effect of spaceflight on various materials.
Furthermore, the launch of the mission will serve as a reminder of the importance of collaboration in space exploration and research.
On the 6th of April 2021, the Soyuz MS-23 mission launched into space from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This launch is special as it is the first uncrewed “rescue” mission of its kind being sent to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Soyuz spacecraft was carrying a humanoid robot, Skybot F-850,and two scientific payloads as part of this unique mission to the ISS. The goal of the mission is to demonstrate the ability to use robotic systems to autonomously dock at the ISS and verify their utility in a potential future in-space rescue mission.
The Soyuz MS-23 will take approximately three-days to reach the ISS and dock help that once it is within 500 meters of the station. At this point, Control Centres teams will take over and manually guide the spacecraft to dock at the station.
Skybot F-850 was developed by Russian space industry company RSC Energia and is an upgraded version of the earlier FEDOR robot. FEDOR was a humanoid robot first launched in 2019, and Skybot F-850 has a much more advanced system installed that will enable autonomous navigation near the station. The robot will be a marker in terms of using robots for future space exploration, including long-duration space missions.
Besides the robot, the Soyuz MS-23 was also carrying two scientific payloads. The first is a 3D-bioprinter developed by Russian biomedical company 3D Bioprinting Solutions and financed by the Moscow-based Skolkovo Foundation. The biological tissue samples printed by this 3D-bioprinter will be used to study cell behavior in space. The second scientific payload is a new type of space scarab robot which is a joint project between RSC Energia and the Keldysh Research Centre. This payload will use Artificial Intelligence to explore the surrounding of the ISS and perform experiments.
The Soyuz MS-23 mission is crucial for the development of more capable robotic systems for future space exploration and could represent a major breakthrough in terms of relying on robotic systems for rescue missions. Furthermore, the scientific payloads will provide researchers with valuable data from the space environment that should enable more advanced robotics in the future.
