THE BACKBONE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Text and photos by Military Parade special correspondent Leonid Yakutin
 

On November 20, 1998, Russia’s successful Proton launch vehicle put into orbit the first major part of the International Space Station (ISS).
The Zarya module and Proton LV were designed by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center under a contract with the ISS general contractor, the Boeing company.

At 4:20 a.m. Moscow time, specialists of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces and the Russian Space Agency began to refuel the launch vehicle. At 9:40 a.m., Proton blasted off from the launch pad of the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. At 10:43 a.m. Mission Control Center established communication with Zarya.

The module and Proton LV were designed by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center under a contract with the ISS general contractor, the Boeing company. The choice of the Khrunichev Center was not accidental: Russian specialists have unique experience in building orbital space stations and putting them into successful operation.

Russian missile experts made a great contribution to Zarya’s successful launch. «We have witnessed a really historical event — the beginning of the stage-by-stage launching into orbit of the International Space Station,» Russian Minister of Defense Marshal Igor Sergeyev said. «I have devoted much of my life to the Missile Forces, and it gave me special pleasure to watch this launch because the Ministry of Defense bears a direct relation to the fulfillment of Russian space programs, including this one.» The defense minister thanked the launch crew for their great performance.

On December 6, 1998, at 5:07 a.m. Moscow time, the crew of the American space shuttle Endeavor, which carried the Unity connecting module, docked it to Zarya at 385 kilometers above the Earth. The assembly of the International Space Station continues.