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Robot may become full-fledged ISS crewmember — Russian cosmonaut

The first humanoid robot Skybot F-850 FEDOR returned from the ISS just recently after spending several days in space
Consecration of the Soyuz-FG carrier rocket on the eve of its launch Sergei Savostyanov/TASS
Consecration of the Soyuz-FG carrier rocket on the eve of its launch
© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/, September 24. /TASS/. Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, who is going on a space mission on September 25, believes that a robot may become a full-fledged member of the International Space Station’s crew someday.

"We will be ready to welcome any newcomer, provided he is a skilled and capable specialist. If a robot is good enough to work as a crewmember, why not?" Skripochka told a news conference.

At the same time he remarked that he was against contrasting manned and unmanned missions.

"We should work together. Robots should be used there where humans will fail or where the job involves great risks, while humans will be employed if creative solutions or extraordinary actions are required," Skripochka said.

The first humanoid robot Skybot F-850 FEDOR (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research) returned from the ISS just recently after spending several days in space.

Skripochka, NASA’s astronaut Jessica Meir and the first astronaut from the United Arab Emirates Hazza al-Mansouri will set off on a space mission on September 25. A Soyuz-FG rocket with a manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-15 is scheduled to blast off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan at 16:57. The docking with the ISS is expected later in the day at 22:45 Moscow time.