Two Russian and one American astronauts are stuck on the International Space Station because their Soyuz MS-22 capsule is having problems. Russia therefore wants to send a Soyuz MS-23 to bring the three back to Earth. But the start fails.
After a pressure drop in the cooling system of a space freighter, Russia has postponed the rocket launch to the International Space Station, scheduled for February 20, to the beginning of March. The cause must first be determined, the space agency Roskosmos told the agency TASS. The space freighter Progress MS-21, which has been attached to the ISS since October, has a leak. A leak had previously been discovered on the Soyuz MS-22 space shuttle, which is also attached to the ISS. With this, two Russian and one American astronaut came to the ISS in September 2022.
Both cases were similar, said the head of Russia’s manned space program, Sergei Krikalev. “The most important thing is that we make sure that it is not a systematic error.” The leak on the Soyuz MS-22 meant that the space capsule could not be adequately cooled. In order not to endanger the cosmonauts on the return flight, Roscosmos decided to send the ferry to Earth unmanned – and instead to bring the astronauts back with the successor ship Soyuz MS-23. This was supposed to fly unmanned from Baikonur to the ISS on February 20th, which is now cancelled. The life and health of the ISS crew are not at risk, said Roscosmos boss Yuri Borissow. Although the damage to both ships would be the same, the reasons could be different.
At the end of January, the US space agency NASA selected a “Crew Dragon” docked at the ISS as a temporary emergency spacecraft. This was decided after discussions with its operator SpaceX, Elon Musk’s private space company, in the event of an unforeseen emergency, NASA said at a press conference. The mini spacecraft “Crew Dragon” has a capacity of up to seven people and is, according to SpaceX, the first private vehicle to bring people to the ISS. It can also transport cargo.
Despite ongoing problems at the ISS, Russia is sticking to its plans to build its own orbital station – also because of tensions with western partners as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The station’s design planning will be completed by the end of 2023, the chief designer of the planned Russian orbital station (ROS), Vladimir Kozhevnikov, said in an interview with the Tass agency. The first module should therefore be set up by the end of 2027. The Angara-type rockets are intended to supply the ROS, said the designer Koschevnikov. In the future, the crew will no longer launch into space from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, but from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East.
(This article was first published on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.)
