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But Progress MS-07 also carried a mysterious sensor, one that might have important military implications. Anatoly Zak, an author and space expert, was among the first to notice the sensor in official photos provided by RKK Energia, the Russian company that manufactured the expendable Progress MS-07 spacecraft.
Russian officials told Zak that the sensor was part of a "one-time scientific experiment," but otherwise declined to comment on the device's purpose. The Russian space agency Roscosmos did not immediately respond to an email from Motherboard requesting comment.
The space agency is probably telling the truth about the sensor—just not the whole truth. "The device is mounted on a location used by other scientific sensors in the past," James Oberg, the author of several books about space technology, told me.
But what kind of science did the sensor support? After all, weapons-development is a kind of science. "The fact that they are not discussing it is unusual, and maybe it's a test of some military-related sensor of some kind," said Jonathan McDowell, an independent space expert.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/mb7mvb/russia-sent-mysterious-sensor-iss-progress-ms-07-roscosmos-international-space-station-weapon-x-37b