Russia's 'walking arm' robot successfully docks with International Space Station after eight days in space

Russia's long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, docked with the orbiting outpost in an automatic mode after a long journey and a series of manoeuvres. Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed the module's contact with the International Space Station at 13:29 GMT. It carried with it the European Robotic Arm (ERA) payload, which can handle components up to 8000 kilograms and transport astronauts. The launch of Nauka, which is intended to provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems.