The Russian space agency (Roscosmos) is considering an unprecedented option of launching another empty Soyuz spacecraft to rescue three astronauts—two Russian and one American—who are at risk of being stranded at the International Space Station (ISS).
According to The Guardian, during a joint press conference on December 22, officials from Roscosmos and NASA stated that they are continuing to investigate the cause of the coolant leak from the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft.
Earlier, on December 14, the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft experienced a significant coolant leak, resembling a stream of snowflakes flowing from the rear of the vehicle, as shown in footage released by NASA.
A Soyuz launch.
Sergei Krikalev, head of the spaceflight programs at Roscosmos, indicated that the damage is still being assessed, and no final conclusions have been made regarding how the three astronauts who recently arrived at the ISS via this spacecraft will return to Earth.
The crew includes two Russian astronauts, Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, along with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio. They are conducting work on the ISS alongside four other astronauts from Roscosmos, NASA, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), who arrived at the station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Krikalev mentioned that if thermal analysis—assessing the temperature levels within the cabin—concludes that the Soyuz MS-22 is no longer suitable for a return flight to Earth, a scheduled launch in March will send an entirely empty Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome to the station.
If this occurs, the damaged spacecraft will return to Earth without a crew. This decision is surprising as Soyuz missions have traditionally operated with astronauts on board.
Joe Montalbano, NASA’s ISS program director, stated that the cause of the Soyuz leak is still unclear. Speculation regarding the Geminid meteor shower has been dismissed, as the Geminids originate from a different direction—according to the consensus of both Russian and American teams.
Tommaso Sgobba, President of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) and former Director of Space Flight Safety for ESA, expressed concerns in an interview with Space last week. He noted that if the Soyuz is unable to return to Earth, the three astronauts could be stranded at the ISS for months without evacuation if an incident occurs with the space station.
He also expressed concern about Russia needing to send two Soyuz spacecraft to the space station for the rescue mission. However, the mission may be simpler if Roscosmos decides to launch an empty spacecraft instead of one with astronauts aboard, as has been done previously.
