Russia to launch new Soyuz spacecraft to rescue astronauts from Space Station
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio arrived at the station in September on board a Soyuz MS-22 and planned to use the capsule to return to Earth. But it leaked coolant last month, resulting in higher cabin temperatures, as reported by PTI.
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New Delhi, January 11: Russian space corporation Roscosmos said Wednesday that it will launch a new spacecraft to take some of the International Space Station's crew back to Earth after their capsule was damaged and leaked coolant.
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio arrived at the station in September on board a Soyuz MS-22 and planned to use the capsule to return to Earth. But it leaked coolant last month, resulting in higher cabin temperatures, as reported by PTI.
Russia to launch new Soyuz spacecraft to rescue astronauts from Space StationAfter analysing the situation and discussing it with NASA, Roscosmos decided to launch a new Soyuz MS-23 capsule in crewless automatic mode on February 20 that the trio will use to come back, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov told reporters.
The mission of Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio will be extended, Borisov said without specifying for how long. He emphasised that Roscosmos had discussed the move with NASA, which agreed with the plan.The Soyuz MS-23 was initially scheduled to be launched in March to carry two Russian cosmonauts and a US astronaut into orbit.
#UPDATE The Russian space agency said Wednesday that its Soyuz spacecraft needs to return to Earth from the International Space Station without a crew, confirming it was hit by a small meteorite strike.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 11, 2023
📸 NASA image shows liquid spraying from the damaged Soyuz spacecraft pic.twitter.com/CzF2MQbaTM
Borisov said Russian space officials had explored the option of launching the new Soyuz with one crewmember but decided against it because it would require longer preparations.
He added that the Soyuz MS-23 will also ferry some supplies to the International Space Station.
NASA scientists find Mars full of opalsNASA scientists find Mars full of opalsIn case of an emergency on the International Space Station that would require the evacuation of the entire crew before the new capsule arrives, space officials will consider whether the Soyuz MS-22 could be used safely, Borisov said.