Nasa’s footage shows a stream of snowflake-like particles ejecting from the rear of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft.
Two Russian astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) canceled their planned spacewalk after detecting a significant leak from the Soyuz spacecraft, according to The Guardian.
The leaked substance is believed to be coolant from the Soyuz MS-22. (Photo: NASA TV).
A “snowflake-like particle stream” leak was first observed on December 15, prompting the Russian astronauts to abort their spacewalk mission, as captured in a live NASA broadcast.
“The spacewalk was canceled due to a leak incident. The leaked substance is believed to be coolant from the Soyuz MS-22,” said NASA commentator Rob Navias during the broadcast from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA.
“We could see water vapor emanating from the rear of the Soyuz, near the measurement equipment and propulsion module, which is a sign of a leak,” he added.
The recorded footage shows a stream of snowflake-like particles ejecting from the rear of the spacecraft.
Astronauts conducting a spacewalk in November 2022. (Photo: Roscosmos).
This incident occurred just before two astronauts from the Russian space agency, including mission commander Sergey Prokopyev and engineer Dimitri Petelin, were set to conduct a planned spacewalk to relocate a radiator from one module to another on the Russian segment of the ISS.
An official in charge of Russian mission control was heard informing the pair over the radio that their spacewalk had been canceled while engineers worked to assess the nature of the problem.
Experts in Moscow are evaluating the leaked substance and its impact on the integrity of the Soyuz spacecraft, according to a statement from NASA.
NASA also reported that none of the seven crew members aboard the ISS were in danger due to this incident, as reported by Reuters.
Navias stated that it is too early to determine the impact of the leak and whether it would complicate the crew’s return to Earth at the end of their mission.
