The Russian space agency Roscosmos recognized Friday, December 16 a “light” A rise in temperature aboard a spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS), according to her without danger, two days after a coolant leak potentially due to a micrometeorite impact.
« A certain name of tests » were carried out on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, according to Roscosmos, “especially by measuring the temperature in the living space of the vessel”. It is now 30° C, the Russian space agency said on Telegram. “It’s a slight change in temperature”continued Roscosmos, which claims that this situation “is not critical for the operation of the equipment and the comfort of the station crew”.
But the challenge is to determine whether the spacecraft will still be able to bring two Russian cosmonauts and their American colleague Frank Rubio back to Earth, whose mission is scheduled to end in March 2023. The temperature in the spacecraft is currently maintained. “using the Russian segment of the ISS”Roscosmos said.
Motor test “successful”
The Soyuz MS-22 leak came on Wednesday when Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin were preparing for a spacewalk, which was ultimately canceled. The source of the leak was identified as coming from the Soyuz cooling system, and the liquid was presumably coolant.
Images broadcast by the American space agency had clearly shown a jet of white particles escaping abundantly into space from the ship. “Most of the fluid had escaped” as early as Thursday, NASA said Friday. “The temperatures and humidity inside the Soyuz spacecraft (…) are within acceptable limits., also reassured the American agency. According to NASA, a test ” successful “ of the ship’s engines was carried out on Friday, but other checks remain in progress.
Mission controllers continue evaluating an external leak on the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship after identifying the source… https://t.co/vdUAMLMTSA
A spacewalk scheduled for Monday has been postponed to Wednesday, to allow the station’s Canadian robotic arm to be used to “provide more exterior images of the Soyuz on Sunday”said NASA.
In addition to the crew who arrived on board the Soyuz, four other people are currently on the ISS: the Russian Anna Kikina, the Americans Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, and the Japanese Koichi Wakata.
The latter traveled with an American SpaceX vessel. The ISS is one of the few fields of cooperation still underway between Moscow and Washington since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, and the Western sanctions that followed. Russia announced in July that it would leave the ISS after 2024.