The Russian Research Module (RM) was to be a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n component of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...

(ISS) that provided facilities for Russian science experiments and research.

History

The original designs of ISS featured two research modules shaped like a rounded ''Zarya'' Functional Cargo Block, but Russian budget problems caused one of them along with the Universal Docking Module to be cancelled early in the program, leaving only one Research Module. This Research Module was scheduled to be built and launched in 2010 or later. In 2007 it was decided that, due to the continuing budget problems, the last Research Module was to be cancelled as well. According to the schedule the module with scientific designation for the

Russian Orbital Segment The Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed in Russia and operated by the Russian Roscosmos. The ROS handles Guidance, Navigation, and Control for the entire Station ...

became the FGB-2 based Multipurpose Laboratory Module ''Nauka'' approved after the cancellation of the original RM1 and RM2. Additionally the

contains two smaller modules, initially named Mini-Research Module (MRM) 1 and 2. The MRM1 ''Rassvet'' implements the Docking and Stowage Module of the original design and is based on the canceled Science Power Platform pressurised compartment. Rassvet was launched in 2010 by

STS-132 STS-132 ( ISS assembly flight ULF4) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' docked with the International Space Station on 16 May 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 May 2010. The prima ...

on board the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...

''Atlantis'' by NASA. MRM2 is one of the names for the original Docking Compartment 2 module ''Poisk'', that was canceled, but later scheduled again for 2009 launch by Progress M-MIM2. RKK Energia, the manufacturer of the ROS components, proposes to execute a similar plan to the original ISS proposal with the addition of the nodal module ''Prichal'' in 2021 and two additional science/energy modules to the segment around the mid-2020s, though it has decided to launch the modules as their own space station.

References

{{TKS spacecraft Russian components of the International Space Station Cancelled spacecraft