Russia has delayed the launch of the spacecraft that will return two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut from the International Space Station (MSS) while it investigates a loss of pressure in the second module, its space agency said on Sunday.
Roscosmos and the US space agency NASA said that the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft will be launched on February 20 to return Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Frank Rubio to Earth, reports N1.
However, Roscosmos leader Yuri Borisov said in a video statement that the decision was made to delay the launch until March 10 at the latest while the cause of the loss of pressure in the cooling system of the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which is scheduled to separate from the MSS, is investigated. February 18.
Borisov also showed images, taken by American colleagues with a robotic arm, of external damage believed to have caused the Dec. 15 loss of pressure in the cooling system of the second module attached to the MSS, Soyuz MS-22.
That spacecraft was supposed to return the three men to Earth, but due to a leak, it will now be sent back without a crew.
The images showed a small hole surrounded by brown spots. Borisov said the cause could have been a meteoroid or man-made space debris.
Roscosmos announced that the damaged modules have been sealed off from the rest of the station and that there is still no threat to the safety of the seven crew members on board – three Americans, three Russians and one Japanese.
Despite strained relations due to the war in Ukraine, Russia and the United States still cooperate closely on the MSS.
Soyuz spacecraft are used to transport the crew to the station and back, while Progress ships deliver equipment and supplies.
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