Soviets Launch Astrophysical Observatory

The Soviet Union on Tuesday launched a 20-ton astrophysical observatory that will dock with the orbiting Mir space station this weekend, Radio Moscow said.

The deputy mission director, Viktor Blagov, said the linkup of the self-contained astrophysical observatory with the Mir, scheduled for Sunday, would “open a new chapter” in manned space flight.

The observatory, 19 feet long with a diameter of 13 1/2 feet, will double the working space available to cosmonauts on the Mir station. It will tie into one of the Mir’s six docking ports.

Pressure on NASA

One Western diplomat said the observatory’s launching and docking is bound to increase pressure on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to move forward with its own permanently manned space station.

NASA began planning a large, modular base in space in 1984, but the project has been stalled in recent months because revised estimates place the cost at nearly double the original $8 billion. Orbital assembly of the space station is planned for the mid-1990s.

The Soviets’ astrophysical observatory, called Quantum, is almost as large as the Mir station, which has been in orbit since February, 1986, and is equipped with its own life support system. The Mir has been manned for the last two months by cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Alexander Laviekin.

The Quantum is carrying scientific equipment and experiments in a group venture with West Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the European Space Agency, Radio Moscow said.

“This large orbital observatory, the first of its kind in the world, is now heading for the Mir,” Radio Moscow said.

The Mir station has living quarters for six cosmonauts, a kitchen and separate dining area along with the cabin work area. Blagov said the Quantum contains additional living quarters and extra docking ports.