Russian Soyuz spacecraft initiates mission to return crew stranded on ISS

Why In News

·         Russia initiates mission to return crew stranded on ISS: Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched on a mission to return to Earth a crew who were left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS).

Key Points

·         A Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched on a mission to return to Earth a crew who were left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to a cooling system leak in their previous return capsule.

·         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, Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, and them were supposed to terminate 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 concur that the leak on the MS-22 spacecraft last year was brought on by a micrometeoroid, a tiny piece of space rock, striking the spacecraft violently. 

·         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 430 kilograms (approximately 950 pounds) of cargo, including medical supplies, scientific equipment, water, food, and cleaning materials, were sent aboard the replacement vessel.

·         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.