One other Russian Spacecraft Docked to ISS Has Sprung a Leak

It is occurred once more. A Russian Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the Worldwide House Station has sprung a coolant leak, NASA stated in an announcement on Saturday. That is the second incident of this sort in current months after a Russian Soyuz spacecraft connected to the ISS spewed out coolant from a leak in December.

NASA stated “engineers on the Russian Mission Management Middle exterior Moscow recorded a depressurization within the unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 82 cargo ship’s coolant loop, which is docked to the space-facing Poisk module on the station.” The reason for the leak is beneath investigation. 

The uncrewed Progress 82 (also called Progress MS-21) arrived in late October of final 12 months carrying a number of tons of meals, gas and provides. It is presently full of trash for disposal and is scheduled to undock on Friday, Feb. 17, to dissipate in Earth’s ambiance.

Most significantly, the crew — which consists of three NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut and three Russian cosmonauts — is protected. “The hatches between the Progress 82 and the station are open, and temperatures and pressures aboard the station are all regular,” NASA stated. “The crew, which was knowledgeable of the cooling loop leak, is in no hazard and persevering with with regular house station operations.”

Not less than the Progress spacecraft is not used to hold people. NASA and Roscomos declared the leaky Soyuz MS-22 unfit to carry crew again to Earth, necessitating a brand new plan for getting NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin again residence. The companies hatched a plan to ship up a recent Soyuz in February and detach MS-22 with no crew on board.  

Roscosmos and NASA suspect a micrometeorite (a tiny house rock) might have brought on the Soyuz leak. It is unknown but if the Progress downside could be traced to the same supply or if the leak is coming from the same location. A leak on a cargo craft is not as worrisome because the Soyuz leak, however the mixture of the 2 so shut collectively will doubtless set off additional scrutiny of Russian spacecraft, particularly because the launch of a “alternative” Soyuz nears.