The launch of the module "Science" to the ISS may cancel due to problems

Sending the Russian multifunctional laboratory module (MLM) "Science" to the ISS can be canceled, TASS reports . This publication said an unnamed source in the rocket and space industry. The launch of this module has been postponed several times already, the last one - in March of this year. "Science" left with the manufacturer, at the Khrunichev Center . Specialists of the Center found contamination in the fuel tanks of the module.

“In the fuel tanks of the module, pollution was again detected, which experts have been trying to get rid of all these years. It was decided within two weeks to assess the state of the module’s systems and then report back to the management for decision-making on its launch. According to preliminary estimates, the elimination of pollution and faults allows the module to be launched no earlier than the end of 2018 - the beginning of 2019. It is possible that the launch will simply be canceled, ”said the source.

Earlier, the launch of this module was scheduled for December of this year, and the project team noted the possibility of postponing the start to the beginning of 2018. If the launch were to be scheduled for December, the module should have been sent back to the Baikonur cosmodrome in March (the pre-launch preparation of the module takes about 9 months). This did not happen, so the transfer or cancellation of the launch will take place with a high degree of probability.
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In order to eliminate the pollution of the fuel tanks, you need to cut them, clean them from the inside, and then weld them. The duration of the cleaning work will be about a year. Previously, the launch of MLM has already been postponed for the same reason. So, in 2013, the module was sent to the Khrunichev Center due to the fact that experts discovered foreign particles in the system.

Another problem is that all the rubber elements of the module are outdated and do not meet the requirements. “As a result, no receiving authority will sign the acceptance document for this module; it will not take responsibility for the consequences,” said a TASS source.

The module began to build in 1995, 22 years ago. Initially, it was positioned as a backup of the Zarya block, the first module of the ISS. After 9 years, in 2004, it was decided to convert it into a full-fledged flight module for scientific purposes with a start in 2007. Since the port launch module is constantly delayed. The starting weight of "Science" is 20 tons. The creators of the module claim that it can accommodate up to three tons of scientific equipment. In addition, the module must provide a port for docking of the Soyuz and Progress ships, as well as ensure the transfer of fuel from the Progress tanks to the ISS.

After the launch of "Science" to the ISS, two more modules will be launched. The first is the nodal, its dispatch is scheduled for 2018, the second is scientific and energy, it will be launched in 2019. Three modules in the case of the completion of the ISS operation in 2024 should form the basis of the Russian orbital station.