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Robot readies for space ride: Russia to test 3 Fedor models before flight on new spaceship

The robot will be the sole passenger in the launch

MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Russia will make and test three prototypes of the android robot Fedor before a flight aboard the Federatsiya spacecraft in 2022, Project Head of the National Center for the Development of Technologies and Robotics Basic Elements at the Advanced Research Fund Sergei Khurs told TASS on Monday.

The robot’s test flight is scheduled during the first launch of the new Russian spacecraft Federatsiya (Federation) in 2022. The robot will be the sole passenger in that launch, he said.

"The first prototype for the flight tests [aboard the Federatsiya spacecraft] is planned to emerge by mid-2019. Overall, three prototypes will be made. They will be involved in various types of pre-flight tests (autonomous, design development and comprehensive trials)," Khurs said.

Android Technics and the Advanced Research Fund under a technical assignment from Russia’s Emergencies’ Ministry created the android robot Fedor. The robot’s demonstration model under the Rescuer project was made in 2016.

Originally, the robot was known under the notional name of Avatar but it was recently dubbed, FEDOR, which stands for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research.

The future crewed spacecraft Federatsiya (Federation) is set to replace Russia’s Soyuz-MS space vehicles and is designed to deliver humans and cargoes to the near-Earth orbit and to the Moon. The Federatsiya spacecraft will have a crew of up to four persons. The spacecraft will be able to operate in an autonomous mode for up to 30 days and up to a year as part of an orbital outpost.