Managed astronaut: Russia first sent the FEDOR robot into orbit

The Russian anthropomorphic robot FEDOR was first put into orbit. This was reported in the corporation "Roskosmos". They said that FEDOR, now called Skybot F-850, was aboard the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft launched on August 22 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

It is also noted that the Russian cosmonauts will be engaged in its testing "in space flight."

“The main purpose of the robot is its use in operations that are especially dangerous for humans on board spacecraft, as well as in outer space,” Roscosmos notes.

The spacecraft with FEDOR started at 06:38 Moscow time. The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle launched it into orbit. In addition to the robot, the cargo ship will deliver scientific and medical equipment, as well as food containers, to the ISS.

Before the rocket launch, FEDOR repeated the famous words of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin: “Let's go! Go!".

After the launch, FEDOR transmitted information about its condition and how the flight is going. A video recording the launch of a rocket is published on the Roskosmos website.

“65th second of flight. Overload recorded at 2.2g. The overload value is standard, the maximum speed dial has been reached, ”the robot said.

According to the FEDOR Twitter account, the robot also collects information about the work of spacecraft and launch vehicle systems.

“The first part of the flight tests was carried out in accordance with the flight mission. He carried out the collection, processing and transmission to the MCC of telemetric data on the operation of the LV, onboard systems of the ship, overloads, temperature and humidity conditions. The ship is in the calculated orbit. Everything is normal, ”says the robot’s Twitter page.

The first part of the flight tests was carried out in accordance with the flight mission. He carried out the collection, processing and transmission to the MCC of telemetric data on the operation of the LV, onboard systems of the ship, overloads, temperature and humidity conditions. The ship is in the calculated orbit. Everything is normal

Commenting on the launch of FEDOR, the head of Roskosmos Dmitry Rogozin said that the Russian space industry has achieved significant success in the field of cybernetics.

“The development team - the Android Technology company and the Advanced Research Foundation, RSC Energia - are very pleased with the start of work. The beginning is normal, good, we are now ahead of everyone. For a long time, our cosmonautics has not shown such leadership results in practical robotics, ”TASS quoted him.

Robot testing

According to calculations, the flight will last two days. Soyuz MS-14 will dock with the ISS on August 24 at 8:30, according to the Roskosmos website. After that, the robots will begin to be tested in the Russian part of the space station.

“After the Soyuz docking with the ISS, it will be transferred from the ship to the Russian segment of the station, where under the control of the cosmonaut Roscosmos Alexander Skvortsov he will perform several tasks. In total, he will stay in orbit for two weeks, then return to Earth in early September, ”the state corporation said in a statement.

Since the robot is intended also for work in outer space, it will be primarily tested outside the ISS, Igor Nikitin, Director General of Robots Corporation, expressed his opinion in a conversation with RT.

“I think that first of all they will check the operation of all its electronic systems in space and zero gravity. There, of course, a higher degree of exposure, in a different way hydraulic or pneumatic fluids can circulate in zero gravity. And then they will test its work in outer space, ”said the expert.

FEDOR will be remotely controlled using a special suit and will repeat all the actions of the operator, said Yevgeny Dudorov, executive director of the Android Technology NGO that created the robot.

“The astronaut will put on himself a copy-type master device ... like an exoskeleton, he connects to the robot and automatically“ settles in ”the robot, ... then he can perform any actions with the robot manipulators,” said Dudorov.

Application prospects

According to Nikitin, in the future FEDOR can be used for technical work that poses a danger to astronauts.

“The robot will be able to replace the astronaut’s spacewalk when it is necessary to repair the casing, install new sensors, etc. These procedures are always associated with additional risk, they are additionally prepared for and not often carried out. If there was a robot that could be controlled constantly on the surface of the ISS, then the procedures for “going out” into outer space would be more frequent, ”he says.

Also, the robot will be useful when launching spacecraft from the ISS.

“The satellites, which are sometimes delivered on the Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS, and then launched during spacewalk, could also be launched using this robot,” the specialist concluded.

Meanwhile, Roscosmos is already developing a new generation of satellites that can repair remotely controlled robots, Dmitry Rogozin told reporters.

“Robotics will be able to explore this device (satellite. - RT ) in orbit, remove a unit that has failed, deliver a new unit there, everything will be in an open architecture. This will be a completely new generation of satellites. And we are going to do this work with the help of “avatars,” TASS reports his words.