Here’s How to Watch The Newest Russian Spacecraft Dock at the ISS
How do you attach a 23-ton module to an existing space station? Very carefully.
A Russian module more than two decades in the making finally docked to the International Space Station on Thursday morning at 9:25 a.m. EST. The Nakuka Multipurpose Laboratory Module is a major upgrade for the Russian portion of the station. It includes a radiation-insulated cabin, robotic arm, toilet, water recycling, and air filtering systems, and more space for storage and astronaut living. But “Nakuka” is actually Russian for “science,” and its most important function is housing laboratory equipment for experiments to be conducted on the ISS.
Long-delayed, the Nakuka module will fill a gap on the Russian side of the station and end Russia’s status as the only major operator of the ISS without its own laboratory module.
Here’s everything you need to know about the docking, which should make for some compelling Thursday morning viewing.
