Cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov recently undertook training with the European Robotic Arm (ERA) robot manipulator at the water immersion facility in Moscow Region's Star City, as reported by the Roscosmos press service on Saturday.

During the training session, Gorbunov was captured in a spacesuit, submerged in water, familiarising himself with the operations of the device.

Specifically designed for orbital operations on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station (ISS), the ERA is capable of navigating around the station's key points along a predetermined path or through real-time control. It possesses the capability to move cargo weighing up to eight tonnes.

According to Roscosmos, the training regimen encompassed various exercises, including manoeuvring around the manipulator, entering and exiting the anchor in the portable workstation, and simulating non-emergency scenarios.

"The compulsory programme of typical procedures includes the transport of an inoperable operator. Today, Aleksandr Gorbunov performed the extraction of the injured operator from the anchor in the portable workstation, assisted him in moving along the handrails of the manipulator using the insurance and transferred him to the airlock," Roscosmos reported.

Gorbunov's rigorous training is in preparation for his upcoming space mission as a part of Crew-9, scheduled for launch in August.