Russia initiates mission to return crew stranded on ISS: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft took off on a mission to return to Earth a crew that had been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to a cooling system leak in their previous return capsule.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Russian Soyuz spacecraft initiates mission for Crew stranded on ISS: Key Points
- According to the Tass news agency, the unmanned Soyuz MS-23 launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur space centre and was successfully sent into orbit. The ISS was to be docked with it.
- The mission of US astronaut Francisco Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin was scheduled to end in March.
- Their Soyuz MS-22 capsule’s cooling system began to leak two months ago, leaving them stranded in orbit.
- This Monday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced that the trio would now travel back to Earth in September on the Soyuz MS-23.
- In March, the damaged MS-22 spacecraft is now slated to touch down without a crew.
Leaks Observed by NASA and Roscosmos
Both NASA and Roscosmos agree that the leak on the MS-22 spacecraft last year was caused by a micrometeoroid, a tiny piece of space rock that violently struck the spacecraft. A separate leak this month on the cooling system of the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which was removed from orbit last week, is also thought to have been caused by a similar accident this month.
Tass reported that the replacement vessel received 430 kilogrammes (950 pounds) of cargo, which included medical supplies, scientific equipment, water, food, and cleaning materials. According to a Russian space official quoted by Tass, the amount of food delivered was three times what is typically sent on such trips.
The revelations have forced NASA and Roscosmos to change their plans and cancel scheduled space walks.
