The departure of Russia's Pirs module from the International Space Station has been delayed until tomorrow as engineers continue to conduct in-flight tests on its replacement.
The 20-year-old Pirs was scheduled to leave the orbiting lab tomorrow to open a slot for the Russian Multipurpose Research Module, also known as Nauka, which launched on Wednesday. But the 22-ton (20 tonnes) Nauka has experienced a few issues during its journey to the orbiting lab, necessitating a change of plans.
The 13 meters long Nauka, which is scheduled to dock with the station on July 29, is no stranger to adversity. The original plan for the International Space Station called for the module to launch in 2007, but a series of issues — including the discovery of metal chips in its fuel system — kept pushing back the liftoff.