page_title: Nauka (ISS module)
section_title: Work on Nauka and launch date
hierarchical_section_title: Nauka (ISS module) / Work on Nauka and launch date
caption_attribution_description: English: International Space Station mock-up training modules are seen at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, April 23, 2012 in Star City, Russia. Expedition 31 prime and backup crew members train in these modules in preparation for final flight to the International Space Station. The Nauka mock-up is in the foreground. In the back from left to right, is Zarya, Pirs, Zvezda, Soyuz, Ressvet and Poisk.
context_page_description: Nauka, also known as the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, is a component of the International Space Station which has not yet been launched into space. The MLM is funded by the Roscosmos State Corporation. In the original ISS plans, Nauka was to use the location of the Docking and Stowage Module. Later, the DSM was replaced by the Rassvet module and it was moved to Zarya's nadir port. Planners anticipate Nauka will dock at Zvezda's nadir port, replacing Pirs.
  The launch of Nauka, initially planned for 2007, has been repeatedly delayed for various reasons. In May 2020, Nauka was reported to be planned for launch in the second quarter of 2021, after which the warranties of some of Nauka's systems will expire.
context_section_description: At the end of 2005, the European Space Agency (ESA) agreed with the Russians that the European Robotic Arm would be launched together with Nauka, mated on its surface for a later deployment in space. A spare elbow joint for the European Robotic Arm was already launched together with Rassvet.
  In 2004, the Russian Federal Space Agency stated that Nauka should be ready for launch in 2007 on a Russian Proton rocket. However, the Nauka project was delayed further, first to 2008 and later to 2009. In November 2006, an ESA bulletin mentioned that the RSA was negotiating with the ISS partners to push back the prospective launch date to the end of 2008. In October 2011, it was reported that Nauka was expected to be launched at the end of 2013. In May 2012, it was reported that the launch date had been pushed back to 2014. The next planned launch date was April 2014, according to Vitaly Lopota, president of RKK Energia.
  On 25 October 2013, Parabolic Arc reported that Nauka was flawed and had failed acceptance testing at RKK Energia. Found problems in the propulsion system included a leaking fueling valve that needed to be replaced and contamination, which would require a lengthy cleaning. The module was to be returned to Khrunichev for repairs which would take another 12 to 18 months. On 27 November 2013, it was reported that the Russian Space Agency had informed NASA that the launch had been postponed until at least 2015.
  In April 2014, it emerged that the target date for launch was postponed to February 2017: a new propulsion system needed to be manufactured, as the installed  system had exceeded its warranty. The leaking fuel valve had also damaged the module's exterior plumbing, necessitating the replacement of most of the plumbing.
  By November 2016, the tentative launch date had slipped to mid-2018. aboard a Proton M rocket. In December 2017, it then slipped further with a projected launch date of March 2019, before a 20 December 2018 launch date was confirmed.
  In August 2018, Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin set a new launch date of November 2019. However, the propellant tanks were found to be contaminated with metallic dust in 2017, requiring repair and replacement work; a tentative new launch date in June 2020 was not met because the repair of the fuel tanks was initially unsuccessful; NPO Lavochkin was slated to produce new single-use fuel tanks based on the Fregat upper stage. Production of this new fuel system, installation into Nauka (at NPO Energia), and additional testing would delay the launch to after 2020.
  On 17 October 2019, TASS released information about the successful repair of the original tanks, so Fregat-based tanks were not needed anymore. The launch date of Nauka in November 2020 was confirmed. On 14 November 2019, the Russians informed the European Space Agency (ESA) that the launch of Nauka would be postponed again for at least three months. A launch date in 2021 means further work on certifying aging equipment.
  On 23 January 2020, TASS reported that the roll out was postponed until the end of March to replace valves on Nauka's fuel tanks. On 4 February 2020, Dmitry Rogozin said Nauka required more testing because the warranty had expired and testing could only be done in Moscow instead of Kazakhstan delaying launch to January 2021. Testing is on going and should be completed by May 2020. On 21 February 2020, the construction of the Proton rocket was completed and the stages were shipped to Baikonur. On 2 April 2020, TASS reported that repairs to the valves were complete but the module's systems had yet to be tested before shipment to Baikonur, which would move the roll out to the end of May 2020. Due to concerns over the coronavirus, work has been suspended until 15 April 2020, but systems testing will be performed by a skeleton crew until work resumes.
  Despite the coronavirus, work never stopped despite the delay and a limited workforce. Nauka was shipped to Energia on time for vacuum testing which will take a month. Roll out is now scheduled for the last week of June or the first week of July. Launch is
caption: Nauka training mockup at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in April 2012.
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