• Russian humanoid robot Skybot F-850 (Fedor) is seen inside the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft as it lifts off from the launch pad. EPA
    Russian humanoid robot Skybot F-850 (Fedor) is seen inside the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft as it lifts off from the launch pad. EPA
  • Fedor is seen before being loaded into a Soyuz capsule. AP
    Fedor is seen before being loaded into a Soyuz capsule. AP
  • Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
    Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
  • Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. AFP
    Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. AFP
  • Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
    Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
  • Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
    Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
  • Fedor is being tested ahead of its flight.
    Fedor is being tested ahead of its flight.
  • Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
    Fedor is tested ahead of its flight. EPA
  • A Roscosmos employee works on the Fedor robot before it is loaded into a Soyuz capsule. AP
    A Roscosmos employee works on the Fedor robot before it is loaded into a Soyuz capsule. AP

Soyuz spacecraft carrying humanoid robot fails to dock with ISS


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A Soyuz spacecraft carrying Russia's first humanoid robot on Saturday failed to dock automatically with the international space station, Moscow news agencies reported.

The craft launched a repeat of the docking manoeuvres after the failure of the first attempt, which had been scheduled for 0530 GMT, the agencies said.

Live broadcast of the event on the Russian space agency Roskomos was interrupted with the Soyuz spacecraft about 100 metres off the ISS.

The life-size robot, named Fedor, was to spend 10 days learning to assist astronauts in the space station.

Short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, Fedor is the first sent up by Russia.

Fedor blasted off Thursday in a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and was to stay on the ISS until September 7.

Soyuz ships are normally manned on such trips, but this time no humans were travelling to test a new emergency rescue system.

Instead of cosmonauts, Fedor, also known as Skybot F850, was strapped into a specially adapted pilot's seat, with a small Russian flag in hand.

"Let's go. Let's go," the robot was heard saying during launch, repeating the famous phrase used by first man in space Yuri Gagarin.

The silvery anthropomorphic robot stands 1.80 metres tall and weighs 160 kilograms.

Fedor has Instagram and Twitter accounts with posts saying it is learning new skills such as opening a bottle of water. It was to trial those manual skills in very low gravity.