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Roscosmos announces tender to gauge ISS Russian segment’s residual service life

The work must be completed by December 10, 2023

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos is looking for a contractor that will conduct experiments on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) to determine its current and residual service life, according to the materials posted on the government’s procurement website on Thursday.

"Determining the current exhausted and residual endurance of structural elements of the RS [Russian Segment] of the ISS, the resource and impact strength of structural materials and protective structures of the RS modules on the ISS in the period of 2022-2023, considering all ISS configurations, force impacts and changes in the conditions of the impact of space debris and micro-meteorites in the process of operation. Predicting the lifespan and endurance of the ISS RS structure," the technical specifications of the tender state.

Apart from assessing the condition of the ISS, contractors will be required to provide scientific and technical support for the program of applied studies and experiments on the space station’s Russian segment, the document says.

The work must be completed by December 10, 2023. Roscosmos is ready to spend up to 1 billion rubles ($13.8 million) on both assignments. Bids will be accepted through October 18, the document says.

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