KOROLYOV /Moscow Region/, July 29. /TASS/. Russia’s Nauka (Science) multi-purpose laboratory module that successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) has a service life through 2027 with the option of extending it until 2030, Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau Sergei Kuznetsov said after the module’s docking on Thursday.

The Nauka research lab successfully docked with the orbital outpost in the automatic mode earlier on Thursday.

"Before the launch, we held a comprehensive survey of the module and it features a service life through 2027. We can work [aboard the module] at least until 2027 and, in principle, we can look into a more distant prospect: there is a chance to extend it to 2030, if required," the chief designer said.

Nauka module

The Nauka multi-functional laboratory module is for implementing a Russian program of applied research and experiments. With the launch of the Nauka research module into operation, the Russian segment of the International Space Station will receive additional space for equipping workplaces, storing cargoes and accommodating water and oxygen regeneration equipment.

The Nauka module will provide a second toilet for Russian cosmonauts (the first is located in the Zvezda module) and a room for a third crewmember. It will also use the European Robotic Arm (ERA) that will help perform some operations without spacewalks.