The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft has a hole, its fate will be decided later this month

FLY – I found a small hole there spaceship Russian Soyuz MS-22 having a cooling system leak. This condition makes Roscosmos consider fate Soyuz MS-22 remain operational or replaced.

A small hole in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft discovered after a series of inspections. However, it’s not clear whether the hole was the result of a micrometeoroid impact or a leaking radiator valve.

Examination of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule for leaks was done using a camera mounted on the large Canadarm2 robotic arm aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The inspection was completed on Sunday 18 December 2022 and yielded some valuable clues.

“There is a small hole and the radiator surface around the hole shows discoloration,” NASA officials wrote in a blog post on Monday evening, December 19, 2022 as quoted by SINDOnews from Space.com page, Tuesday (12/20). /2022).

Read also; Leaked Soyuz MS-22 capsules re-evaluated unfit for use

The Soyuz coolant leaked on the evening of Wednesday, December 14, 2022, as two Russian cosmonauts were preparing to go into space and the mission was aborted. Subsequently, the Russian space agency Roscosmos investigated the leak.

“Roscosmos is evaluating the images obtained to determine whether this hole was the result of an impact with micrometeoroid debris or one of the pre-production radiator vents,” NASA added.

The impact of space debris is one of the strongest hypotheses as a cause of the loss of the Soyuz. Roscosmos is currently evaluating whether Soyuz MS-22, which apparently no longer has its cooling system, is operational. The decision on the fate of Soyuz MS-22 was announced later this month.

If the MS-22 capsule is found to be unfit to fly, Roscosmos will immediately launch another Soyuz spacecraft from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A replacement spacecraft is needed to bring the three astronauts home to ISS duty.

Read also; Soyuz, the Russian spaceship rivals the US Crew Dragon

Soyuz MS-22, carried cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to the ISS in September. It’s scheduled to bring all three back to Earth in March.

The Soyuz MS-22 capsule is one of two spacecraft that serve as vehicles for astronauts flying to and from the ISS. In addition, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is capable of carrying 4 astronauts.

(wib)