Russia Has Had 2 Leaky Space Station Ships in 2 Months

upstart writes:

Meanwhile, an astronaut and two cosmonauts wait for a return ride to Earth:

[...] The disposal follows a depressurization alert onboard the spacecraft on Feb. 11, making it the second Russian spacecraft to spring a leak at the space station over the past two months. A Soyuz capsule for carrying humans also suffered a similar coolant leak in December 2022, leaving three crew members without a lifeboat.

Following Roscosmos' in-space inspection of the cargo ship and before it broke up over the ocean, the agency said external damage - not a manufacturing defect - caused the leak. The Russian space agency plans to launch a new empty passenger spaceship Thursday, Feb. 24, giving the three marooned crew a fresh return ride home. The new Soyuz MS-23 is expected to dock at the space station this weekend. But because of the shuffle in spacecraft, the astronaut and two cosmonauts won't come home until September, extending their time in space by six months. NASA officials said they are reviewing photos and data related to the leaks "in parallel" with their Russian counterparts.

After an investigation into the first leak, Russian and U.S. space officials believed a micrometeoroid smaller than a sharpened pencil tip had caused the puncture. The coolant seeping into space then, caught on live video, was intended to keep the cabin at a comfortable temperature.

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