Spare parts for the European robotic arm (ERA) will reach the International Space Station (ISS) onboard the Atlantis Shuttle, which will be launched today.

The ERA is the second intelligent robot arm for the ISS, following the Canadarm-2.

It will be based on Russia’s multipurpose laboratory module (MLM), which will be capable of moving to other locations autonomously.

The robotic arm will be used to service the Russian segment of the ISS to transfer small payloads directly to space through MLM’s airlock.

ESA director of human spaceflight Simonetta Di Pippo said launching the ERA spares would maintain the ability for demanding robotic operations in case of technical failures that may happen during the prolonged life of the ISS.