City · Russia
Zarya
Zarya, also known as the Functional Cargo Block, is the first module of the International Space Station (ISS). Launched on 20 November 1998 atop a Proton-K rocket, the module would serve as the ISS's primary source of power, propulsion, and guidance during its early years. As the ISS expanded, Zarya's role shifted primarily to storage, both internally and in its external fuel tanks. A descendant of the TKS spacecraft used in the Salyut programme, Zarya was built in Russia but financed by the United States. Its name, meaning "sunrise," symbolizes the beginning of a new era of international space cooperation.
Good to know
- Population: 27,000.
- Timezone: Europe/Moscow.