Russia says it will launch its MIM1 experiment module to the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2010 to conduct a series of scientific experiments on biotechnology and hylology.

Russia’s Energia Aerospace Corporation president Vitaly Lopota was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying that the 7.9t module, temporarily named as “Twilight” (Sumerki), had already been assembled and will be shipped to the US in mid-December.

The Twilight module, along with 1.4t of US cargoes, will be launched to the ISS by a US space shuttle.

Russia will launch a node module in 2012 and two energy modules in 2014 to the ISS, in an effort to boost the energy supplies of the Russian section of the ISS.