'Fly, Fedya': Russia launched a robot astronaut to the ISS. What for?

Before the launch, the robot Fedor repeated the famous phrase of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - “Let's go.”

The Russian Soyuz-2.1 launch vehicle launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft, on board of which is the anthropomorphic robot Fedor.

The rocket took off from the 31-th launch pad of the cosmodrome (Gagarinsky launch). The manned ship went to the International Space Station (ISS) without a crew, only a robot and cargo are on board.

The ship separated from the third stage of the carrier and headed for the ISS.

“There is a manned spacecraft compartment,” said the announcer who commentated on the launch. The robot Fedor also periodically “commented” on the beginning of the flight.

So, before starting the robot repeated the famous phrase of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The broadcast of the launch that took place earlier on Thursday was published on the Roskosmos website.

“Let's go, let's go,” said the robot Fedor, who received the call sign Skybot F-850.

According to the commentator at the Mission Control Center near Moscow, where the launch is being broadcast, the solar panels of the Soyuz MS-14 manned spacecraft were opened normally.

The flight of the ship to the ISS will take place according to a two-day scheme. Docking is planned for 08: 31 Moscow time.

LIFTOFF! ? At 11:38pm ET, an uncrewed Soyuz spacecraft launched to the @Space_Station... This test flight will validate the spacecraft's compatibility with an upgraded booster rocket, before it's used to fly crew to the station next year. Watch: https://t.co/ZuxLDtzW9c pic.twitter.com/OOxhi8ySK1

- NASA (@NASA) August 22

What is the purpose of the robot "Fedora"

The results of tests of the Fedora robot on the International Space Station will show how effective its anthropomorphic platform is, as well as in which direction Russian robotics should move further, he said RIA News Russian cosmonaut Fedor Yurchikhin.

Motor skills and mnemonics of the robot are at the level of world standards. And what are global standards today? If you look carefully, all countries are feeling their way to the future... Robotics is a very wide range of different areas. Today, I can’t take the courage to say unequivocally that we have leading countries in this direction,” Yurchikhin said.

“Let’s still wait for specialists to make a balanced analysis based on the results of this launch. I am sure that work with him (the robot) will continue... (then it will be possible to find out) how he behaved in orbit. And the analysis will answer the most important question - where to go next,” the cosmonaut added.

The cosmonaut also said that he has a positive attitude towards jokes that he was “sent into space again,” despite the fact that in fact the name of the robot is an English abbreviation for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research (Yurchikhin is the only Fedor of the 25 active cosmonauts of the Russian detachment ).

Dedicated to our Fedor @FEDOR37516789 and his upcoming flight@roscosmos @tvroscosmos @fpi_russia @glavkosmosJSC pic.twitter.com/N4T8cz73co

- ROGOZIN (@Rogozin) August 12

Since 2002, the Soyuz-FG rocket delivered international crews into orbit. Starting from 2020, the transition to Soyuz-2.1 carrier, which previously displayed only cargo ships and spacecraft, is planned. An accomplished launch is a test before the crew is dispatched.

The transition to a new generation of missiles is associated with the cessation of supplies of Ukrainian analog control systems that were installed on Soyuz-FG. The Soyuz-2.1 rocket has a Russian digital control system.

Recall that in Silicon Valley, a robot first passed course of philosophy of love at the university, and in Russia 'the most modern robot' turned man in a suit.

Read also on ForumDaily:

USSR space satellites launched with a nuclear reactor on board: one of them fell in Canada

'Feel like a rock star': one day in the life of a California firefighter from Ukraine

How to manage satellites: the story of a Ukrainian working at NASA

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.