Russian cosmonauts will install the Teledroid robot outside the ISS

Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anna Kikina will install the Teledroid robotic system on the outer surface of the International Space Station (ISS) during one of their spacewalks. Dubrov announced this on July 13 at a pre-flight press conference.

"During the spacewalk, the external part of the robotic system will be removed and installed on the MLM module (Multifunctional laboratory module "Science". — Ed.), well, Anna and I will manage [the system] while already inside the station," he said.

According to Dubrov, the work will be carried out as part of the second stage of the Teledroid experiment. The necessary equipment for the installation of the robotic system will be delivered by one of the Russian cargo spacecraft. The cosmonaut clarified that the main goal of the project is to create a robotic system capable of performing operations using tools familiar to humans, such as a hammer and a carbine.

"This technology will make it possible in the future to create a really useful system that can be used in the daily activities of astronauts," Dubrov concluded.

The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft will take place on July 14. In addition to Dubrov and Kikina, Anil Menon, an astronaut from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will fly. The expedition will last 261 days. During this time, the specialists will conduct more than 40 experiments and go into outer space twice.

Details about the Teledroid test on the ISS can be found in Anna Kikina's exclusive interview with Izvestia.

"We have to adapt the robot to the overall system of the station"

Roscosmos test cosmonaut Anna Kikina — about the upcoming flight to the ISS, experiments on and off the station, and an AI assistant

On the same day, Dmitry Bakanov, head of Roscosmos, and Jared Isaakman, head of NASA, held a meeting at the Baikonur cosmodrome. The heads of departments held a meeting of the state commission for the approval of the crews of the Soyuz MS-29 manned spacecraft. The state corporation clarified that Isaakman's visit was the first visit to Baikonur by the head of the American aerospace Agency in eight years.