MOSCOW, KOMPAS.com – Capsules Soyuz owned by Russia docked at the International Space Station (ISS) has a refrigerant leak.
Because of this incident, the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, is considering sending an empty spacecraft to the ISS to bring the capsule’s three crew members back to Earth.
Roscosmos and NASA said it was unclear why the Soyuz capsule’s external radiator coolant leaked.
Read also: The Orion capsule of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission successfully breaks the Apollo 13 record
The device leaks as the two Russian cosmonauts prepare to do so space walk routine, as reported BBCSaturday (23/12/2022).
However, Roscosmos has not yet decided how exactly the three crew members of the Soyuz capsule will be returned to Earth.
The most likely option was to send an empty spaceship to pick them up.
The least likely option is to send them back inside the leaky Soyuz capsule without most of the coolant.
Read also: NASA’s Orion capsule successfully enters lunar orbit, a good sign
Soyuz carried two Russian cosmonauts, Dmitry Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to the ISS in September.
However, earlier this month the capsule started leaking coolant into space.
NASA TV had shown a video in the form of white particles that shone out of the capsule like snowflakes.
ISS program manager Joel Montalbano said late February was the most likely time to launch another Soyuz.
Read also: 1887 Time Capsule Found In US, Preservation Experts Reveal Contents
If according to the schedule expected in February, the new crew will be able to return in March.
NASA reports, the crew is safe and not in a dangerous situation.
The ISS was launched in 1998 and orbits approximately 400 kilometers (Km) above Earth.
Cosmonauts carry out tests and research on the station that will assist in future space missions.
Read also: Space capsule toilet is broken, this is the condition of NASA astronauts at SpaceX
Get updates Featured News and latest news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, like click on the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your mobile phone.
