Russia launches new 'walking' robot arm module to the International Space Station

A Proton rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today, taking the European Robotic Arm (ERA) payload to the International Space Station. The 11-meter long robot has been folded and attached to the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, also called'Nauka', that will be its home base when it reaches the ISS. The rocket put Nauka and the ERA into orbit at 16:08pm GMT, ten minutes after liftoff, at an altitude of nearly 200 kilometres above the Earth. The ISS already has two robotic arms, which are used to berth spacecraft and transfer payloads and astronauts, but neither arm can each the Russian segment, the European Space Agency said. Instead, the ERA will'walk' around the Russian parts of the orbital complex, handling components up to 8000 kilograms, and transport astronauts when it eventually reaches the station.