It is not known how astronauts will return from space to Earth. The reason for the Soyuz failure is still unknown

engineers NASA intends to investigate whether SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft could prove to be a potential means of transport for some crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) after the Russian Soyuz MS-22 capsule leaked coolant during docking. In September, a leaky capsule transported an American and two Russians to the ISS – Frank Rubio, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitry Petlin.

NASA and employees of the Russian space agency Roskosmos have been searching for weeks for the cause of the malfunctioning of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which was supposed to return to Earth in March with three astronauts. It could have been caused by the capsule colliding with a piece of space rock or space debris. It is also possible that the failure occurred in the capsule itself. If it happened because of the last chance, it undermines the integrity and security of all other devices of the Soyuz family.

– I can assure you that it is something that [Rosjanie – przyp. red.] investigate and evaluate. Russians are really good at not talking about what they’re doing, but they’re very thorough in what they’re doing,” said Mike Suffredini, who led NASA’s ISS program from 2005 to 2015.

Roskosmos head Yuri Borisov promised that engineers would decide in the coming days how the crew would return to Earth. Time is not an ally here, as it is not known how long the temperature in the capsule will remain “within acceptable limits”. For now, its crew compartment is vented through an air vent from an open hatch to the ISS. According to Sergei Krikaliev, head of Russia’s manned space programs, if the hatch is closed, the temperature will rise sharply.

The problem may actually have been caused by a recent meteor shower, but as program director Joel Montalbano pointed out, the one rock that destroyed the cooling system must have come from an unexpected direction. Therefore, a piece of space debris is more likely to hit. This assumption, however, fuels concerns about the increasingly hostile orbital environment and the proper construction of spacecraft.

An unplanned escape thwarted the plans of the Russian engineers, forcing them to find an alternative solution for the researchers’ safe return from the ISS. One option was to send cosmos another vessel of the same family, but given the technical circumstances, it may be too risky and attract much criticism. That’s why NASA reached out and offered a different concept, which involves the support of the commercial space company SpaceX.

“We asked SpaceX several questions about their ability to carry additional crew members to Dragon if needed,” said NASA spokeswoman Sandra Jones. For now it’s not clear whether it’s about finding a way to increase the ship’s capacity or launching an empty capsule to help the crew.

There are currently four other astronauts on the ISS. Two work for NASA, one for Roscosmos and the last for JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has also been parked on the ISS since October. This vessel is capable of accommodating only four people. Aside from Russia’s Soyuz, it is the only reusable form of transportation that people can travel to and from the ISS.