103 Global News Post 2

This is the original 2019 article from Al Jazeera.

During the Space Race, the USSR commissioned the world’s first, and currently largest, spaceport. Their facility was named the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was christened in June of 1955. Since then, it has been the site of many Russian and international feats. And while it is technically located within the borders of Kazakhstan, it has been leased to the Russian’s space agency, Roscosmos. (Central Desk)

In 2019, a new type of astronaut was sent up to the International Space Station (ISS). Fedor became the first humanoid robot to be sent to space by Russia. It’s mission is to aid astronauts already on the ISS and to learn basic tasks before, eventually, embarking on more dangerous missions. While not the first time a large robot like Fedor has gone up to space, it is still an achievement for Russia and the international community. Below is a video from the webpage chronicling Fedor’s journey to space.

This piece does not contain much disputed information and is not about too controversial a topic, but there is still a bit of evidence to analyze. One of the first things is that Al Jazeera only seemed to cite Russian sources, so there may be some geographic bias. However, their perspective on their first humanoid robot in space is valuable. Al Jazeera also makes note of the 2 previous robots which have successfully made it to the ISS, Robonaut 2 (from the US) and Kirobo (from Japan).

References:

Al Jazeera English. (Aug 22, 2019). Russian humanoid robot Fedor to travel to space [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az_qrXQzYOA

Central Desk. (2018). Baikonur cosmodrome celebrated 63rd anniversary. Retrieved from https://dnd.com.pk/baikonur-cosmodrome-celebrated-63rd-anniversary/142903