Russian Energia Won $11 Million Contract for Unmanned Space Lab

Oka-T-MKS multipurpose module (Credits: RSC Energia).

RSC Energia (РКК «Энергия»), the largest Russian space corporation has won a 350 million ruble (about $11 million) contract to design the orbital laboratory Oka-T-MKS.

The tender was announced by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) in October and it only received one bid from Energia Corporation. RSC Energia  manufactures manned and unmanned spacecraft and it is the principal contractor for the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS).  Energia had already won a tender against Khrunichev for a science and energy module earlier this month.

The Oka-T-MKS is a 8.8 ton multi-functional module, designed to conduct  microgravity experiments in materials sciences, biotechnology, nano-electronics, and other disciplines. The module, intended for a five year lifetime, will carry a 850 kg scientific research payload. Oka-TMKS will be capable of working autonomously from 90 up to 180 days before docking with the International Space Station (ISS) for refueling and tending the experiments. The samples from the experiments can be carried onboard by the ISS crew to be transported to Earth. Moreover, Oka-T-MKS  will install  an outboard-mounted installation for the production of semiconductor crystals by molecular beam epitaxy. The spacecraft will have a cylindrically shaped hermetic area with about 18 cubic meters capacity and solar cells with a total power of about 3.5 kW.

The Oka‑T‑MKS project initially encompassed two spacecraft, planned for launch in 2012 and 2015. However, in October 2011, Roscosmos deputy head Vitaly Davydov  said the project was put back by two to three years “due to the lack of concrete scientific research projects, as well as clients.” The probable single spacecraft is now expected to be launched in 2017 or 2018. With this timeline, it is clear that the Oka-T-MKS development will be closely connected to ISS future, which is planned (and funded) at least until 2020.