On this day in space! May 31, 1990: Kristall module launches to Mir Space Station

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On May 31, 1990, the Soviet Union launched a new module to the Mir space station.

On May 31, 1990, the Soviet Union launched a new module to the Mir space station.

The new component was named Kristall, and it was the third addition sent to Mir since the core module launched in 1986. Including the core module, Mir consisted of seven different modules. Each of them launched individually on Russian Proton rockets, with the exception of one that went up on the space shuttle Atlantis in 1995.

Mir was the world's first modular space station to be assembled in orbit. Kristall was 45 feet long and weighed about 20 tons.

The Kristall module is seen as part of the Mir space station. It was launched by the Soviet Union on May 31, 1990. (Image credit: NASA)
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The module consisted of two main sections. One section was dedicated to experiments with materials science and biotechnology as well as astronomical observations. The other section was used as a docking compartment that would allow American space shuttles to visit the station.

Kristall lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and docked with Mir 10 days later.

On This Day in Space: See our full 365-day video archive!

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Hanneke Weitering
Hanneke Weitering
Contributing expert

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos.