The Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle, which is to launch the last module for the Russian segment of the Moscow Space Station "Berth", was taken out and installed on the launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome. This was reported in Roscosmos.
"The Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with the Progress M-UM cargo ship and the new Russian Berth module is installed on the launch pad No. 31," the state corporation said in a Twitter message.
In the coming days, the service columns will be brought together. The rocket launch itself is scheduled for November 24. The ship will dock with the Nauka module on November 26. The Berth should be the last module that Russia will introduce into its ISS segment.
In addition, the Progress cargo ship will deliver about 700 kilograms of cargo to the International Space Station, including resource equipment and consumables, water treatment facilities, medical control and sanitary and hygienic support, maintenance and repair facilities, as well as standard food rations for the crew.
Earlier, the executive director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Advanced Programs and Science, Alexander Bloshenko, called the timing of the start of the design of the Russian orbital station (ROSS). According to him, preliminary design will begin in 2022. In his opinion, this stage can be completed in a year and a half.
Marina Sovina
