Samantha Cristoforetti trains with the European Robotic Arm

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti trains with the European Robotic Arm (ERA) simulator at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Moscow, Russia.

The European Robotic Arm is the first robot that can ‘walk’ around the Russian part of the International Space Station. 

ERA has a length of over 11 m, and can anchor itself to the Station in multiple locations, moving backwards and forwards around the Russian segment with a large range of motion. Its home base will be the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, also called ‘Nauka’.

Astronauts will find in the European Robotic Arm a most valuable ally – it will save them precious time to do other work in space. The crew in space can control ERA from both inside and outside the Space Station, a feature that no other robotic arm has offered before. 

It will take five spacewalks to get the robotic arm fit for space operations. ESA astronauts Matthias Maurer and Samantha Cristoforetti will support the installation both from inside and outside the Station by taking part in a few spacewalks.

ERA’s first tasks in orbit are to set up the airlock and install a large radiator for the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, also called ‘Nauka’.