Russia to resume ISS construction

Science reporter

Russia could eventually convert its modules into the core of a new station

After a hiatus of almost a decade, Russia is set to resume construction of its share in the International Space Station (ISS) with the launch of a new module this week.

A Poisk ("Quest") Mini-Research Module-2 (MIM-2 in the Russian abbreviation) is set for launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday at 1422 GMT.

The spacecraft is essentially a twin of another Russian module - the Pirs Docking Compartment - added to the outpost in September 2001.

In the intervening years, economic problems kept further Russian pieces of the station on the ground and forced a significant scaling down of the Russian segment in comparison to its originally conceived architecture.

The MIM-2 module is only the first of three long-term components which Russia plans to add to the station over the next three years.READ MORE