Russia has launched a humanoid robot named “Fyodor” to the International Space Station on the Soyuz spacecraft; it is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station on August 24, 2019.
The Soyuz spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with the “Fyodor” F-850 robot along with some food supplies. The Soyuz was hailing a ride on the Soyuz 2.1 which had, as of now, only completed unscrewed missions.
According to a NASA spokesperson Rob Navias, Fyodor seems to be doing fine till now. He also added, “A flawless climb to orbit for Soyuz MS-14 in its test flight, the first launch of a Soyuz vehicle on a 2.1a booster.” The robot was seen to be clutching a small Russian flag in its right hand.
The Soyuz 2.1a booster, equipped with a new digital flight control system and upgraded engines, is replacing the Soyuz FG booster that has been used for decades to launch crews into space. The Soyuz spacecraft will have upgraded motion control and navigation system, as well as a revamped descent control system. – NASA
Fyodor F-850’s journey will also pave the way for Roscosmos for it to develop a cargo version of the same capsule for unscrewed mission in the future so that the capsule can also return experiments and other gear to Earth.
Soyuz’s navigation system, Kurs, has taken the wheel and will continue to direct the spacecraft till it is docked on the space station.
However, if Kurs loses control, the Russian cosmonauts can send a command to Soyuz to disable the Kurs, and it will trigger an abort leading the spacecraft away to a safe distance from the Space Station.
Fyodor’s journey and the data collected during this voyage will help the scientists to determine and provide information on how the astronauts will feel on the Soyuz2.1a rocket.
Fyodor is the latest version and one of its kind to go into space among the plethora of Russia’s FEDOR robots. Fyodor F-850 includes features like vibration-resistant materials, and algorithms to reduce its movement.
After conducting experiments on Fyodor in the Russian Poisk module for five days, it will return back to earth on the Soyuz which is expected to reach earth on September 6, 2019.
