Photo: Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, which will deliver the 65th expedition to the ISS, was tested in an anechoic chamber
According to Roskosmos, at the Baikonur cosmodrome, pre-flight preparation of the Soyuz MS-18 manned transport vehicle will deliver the next Russian crew to the International Space Station (ISS) continues. On February 5, 2021, the ship’s planned cycle of autonomous tests took place in the anechoic chamber of the assembly and test building of site No. 254.
During the day, specialists from the SP Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia and the Yuzhny Space Center performed operations to check the functioning of the Kurs-NA radio equipment, which ensures the rendezvous and docking of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft with the ISS … In the process of testing, the following photographs were taken.
An anechoic chamber is a special room covered with a radio-absorbing material to simulate the conditions of outer space for ground testing of the performance of the onboard radio systems of the Progress MS Soyuz MS transport vehicles.
After completing the tests, the ship was installed in the dynamic stand of the assembly and test building to continue the prelaunch preparation. The Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket launch with the Soyuz MS-18 crewed spacecraft is scheduled for April 9, 2021, from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
The spacecraft is to deliver the crew of the next 65th Expedition to the ISS. In November, preparatory work began at the station for the arrival of the Soyuz MS-18. It is reported that the launch will take place in an ultra-fast two-turn scheme.
By the way, already this month, on February 15, it is planned to send an uncrewed transport cargo vehicle Progress MS-16 to the ISS, which will deliver fuel and gas reserves, scientific equipment, and a special repair kit to fix a crack in the Zvezda module from – behind which air leaks.
