![Rendezvous with Zarya - GPN-2000-001043](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Rendezvous_with_Zarya_-_GPN-2000-001043.jpg)
''Zarya'' (russian: Заря, , Dawn), also known as the Functional Cargo Block or FGB (from the russian: "Функционально-грузовой блок", , ''Funktsionalno-gruzovoy blok'' or ''ФГБ''), is the first module 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 ( ...
to have been launched.
[NASA, International Space Station]
Zarya
(accessed 19 Apr. 2014) The FGB provided electrical power, storage, propulsion, and guidance to the ISS during the initial stage of assembly. With the launch and assembly in orbit of other modules with more specialized functionality, it is primarily used for storage, both inside the pressurized section and in the externally mounted fuel tanks. The ''Zarya'' is a descendant of the
TKS spacecraft
The TKS spacecraft (russian: Транспортный корабль снабжения, , ''Transport Supply Spacecraft'', GRAU index 11F72) was a Soviet spacecraft conceived in the late 1960s for resupply flights to the military Almaz space ...
designed for the Russian
''Salyut'' program. The name ''Zarya'' ("Dawn") was given to the FGB because it signified the dawn of a new era of international cooperation in space. Although it was built by a Russian company, it is owned by the United States.
Construction
The FGB design was originally intended as a module for the Russian ''
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
'' space station, but was not flown as of the end of the Mir program. A FGB cargo block was incorporated as an upper stage engine into the
Polyus spacecraft, flown (unsuccessfully) on the first
Energia launch.
[B. Hendrickx, "The Origins and Evolution of the Energiya Rocket Family," ''J. British Interplanetary Soc., Vol. 55,'' pp. 242-278 (2002).] With the end of the Mir program, the design was adapted to use for the International Space Station.
The ''Zarya'' module is capable of
station keeping and provides sizable battery power; it was suggested to have initially been built to both power and control the recoil from a further derivation of the then classified Skif laser system/Polyus satellite. Commentators in the West thought that the ''Zarya'' module was constructed cheaper and lifted to orbit faster than should have been possible in the post-Soviet era, and that the FGB might have been largely constructed from
mothballed hardware from the Skif laser program (which had been canceled after the failed 1987
Polyus launch).
The research and development of a similar design was paid for by Russia and the Soviet Union, the design of the module and all systems are Soviet/Russian. The United States funded ''Zarya'' through the U.S. prime contracts in the 1990s as the first module for ISS. Built from December 1994 to January 1998 in Russia at the
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center (KhSC) in Moscow.
The module was included as part of NASA's plan for the International Space Station (ISS) instead of
Lockheed Martin's "Bus-1" option because it was significantly cheaper (
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
220 million vs. $450 million). As part of the contract Khrunichev constructed much of an identical module (referred to as "FGB-2") for contingency purposes. FGB-2 was proposed to be used for a variety of projects; it has been used to construct the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module
''Nauka''.
Design
''Zarya'' has a mass of , is long and wide at its widest point.
The module has three
docking ports: one axially on the front end at the docking sphere, one on the Earth-facing side (
nadir
The nadir (, ; ar, نظير, naẓīr, counterpart) is the direction pointing directly ''below'' a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface.
The direc ...
) of the docking sphere and one axially on the aft end.
Attached to the forward port is the
Pressurized Mating Adapter
The Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) is a class of spacecraft adapters that convert the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) used on the US Orbital Segment to APAS-95 docking ports. There are three PMAs located on the International Space Station (I ...
''PMA-1'', which in turn is connected to the
''Unity'' Module – this is the connection
between 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 ...
(ROS) and the
US Orbital Segment
The US Orbital Segment (USOS) is the name given to the components of the International Space Station (ISS) constructed and operated by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), Canadi ...
(USOS).
Attached to the aft port is the
''Zvezda'' Service Module. The lower port (nadir) was initially used by visiting
Soyuz spacecraft and
Progress spacecraft
The Progress (russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked t ...
to dock to the ROS; The
''Rassvet'' module is now docked semipermanently on the nadir port of ''Zarya'', and visiting spacecraft use ''Rassvet'' nadir docking port instead. It was planned to install another zenith docking port in the docking sphere, however, after the design was changed, a spherical cover was welded in its place.
''Zarya'' has two
solar arrays
A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and c ...
measuring and six
nickel-cadmium batteries that can provide an average of of power – the solar arrays have been however partially retracted so the P1/S1 radiators of the
Integrated Truss Structure
The Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) of the International Space Station (ISS) consists of a linear arranged sequence of connected trusses on which various unpressurized components are mounted such as logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, ...
could deploy. They are still generating some power, but not the average of power, they once provided when they were fully unfurled. ''Zarya'' has 16 external fuel tanks that can hold up to of propellant (this requirement was mandated by NASA in early 1997 over concerns that the ''Zvezda'' Service Module would be further delayed, hence the FGB had to be capable of independent propellant storage and transfer from
Progress spacecraft
The Progress (russian: Прогресс) is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked t ...
even without ''Zvezda''
). ''Zarya'' also has 24 large steering jets, 12 small steering jets, and two large engines that were used for reboost and major orbital changes; with the docking of ''Zvezda'' these are now permanently disabled. Since they are no longer needed for ''Zarya'' engines, Zarya's propellant tanks are now used to store additional fuel for ''Zvezda''.
Launch and flight
''Zarya'' was launched on 20 November 1998 on a Russian
Proton rocket
Proton (Russian: Протон) (formal designation: UR-500) is an expendable launch system used for both commercial and Russian government space launches. The first Proton rocket was launched in 1965. Modern versions of the launch system are sti ...
from
Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81
Site 81 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome is a launch site used, along with Site 200, by Proton rockets. It consists of two launch pads, areas 23 and 24. Area 24 is used for Proton-K and Proton-M launches, while Area 23 is inactive.
Several planetary ...
in Kazakhstan to a high orbit with a designed lifetime of at least 15 years. After ''Zarya'' reached orbit,
STS-88
STS-88 was the first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It was flown by Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'', and took the first American module, the ''Unity'' node, to the station.
The seven-day mission was highlighted by ...
launched on 4 December 1998 to attach the
''Unity'' module.
Although only designed to fly autonomously for six to eight months, ''Zarya'' was required to do so for almost two years due to delays to the Russian Service Module,
''Zvezda''. ''Zvezda'' was finally launched on 12 July 2000, docking with ''Zarya'' on 26 July 2000.
''Zarya'' passed the 50,000-orbit mark at 15:17 UTC on 14 August 2007 during the
STS-118
STS-118 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by the orbiter '' Endeavour''. STS-118 lifted off on 8 August 2007 from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida and landed at the Shuttle Landing Fac ...
mission to the International Space Station.
Dockings
;Nadir
*''
Rassvet'', 2010–Present
;Forward
*''
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; ...
'' (via
PMA-1
The Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) is a class of spacecraft adapters that convert the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) used on the US Orbital Segment to APAS-95 docking ports. There are three PMAs located on the International Space Station (I ...
), 1998–Present
;Aft
*''
Zvezda'', 2000–Present
Gallery
Zarya_interior.jpg, Interior of ''Zarya''
ISS from Atlantis - Sts101-714-016.jpg, ''Zarya'' (top) and ''Unity'' (Node 1)
STS-128 EVA2 Russian Orbital Segment.jpg, ''Zarya'' as seen in 2009 during STS-128, solar arrays folded
ISS013-E-65174.jpg, View through the window of ''Zarya'', 2006
Notes
References
See also
*
Power and Propulsion Element
The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), previously known as the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle propulsion system, is a planned solar electric ion propulsion module being developed by Maxar Technologies for NASA. It is one of the major components of ...
station module of the Lunar Gateway
{{Orbital launches in 1998
1998 in Russia
Russian components of the International Space Station
Spacecraft launched in 1998
Spacecraft launched by Proton rockets