BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — NASA astronauts Frank Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts may need another ride home after their Soyuz spacecraft sprang a leak.
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During a teleconference Thursday, NASA and Roscosmos said the agencies are still working to determine what’s next.
“We’re trying to get better video and imagery of that hole,” said Joel Montalbano, ISS program manager. “Right now, we haven’t confirmed that it’s an MMOD micro-meteoroid debris, or some other type of failure.”
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However, officials with both Roscosmos Human Space Flight Programs and ISS said recent meteor showers are unlikely to blame.
The Soyuz MS-22 carried two cosmonauts and an astronaut to the ISS, but it’s unclear if it will not be able to bring them home.
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“They’re looking at late February to send up the next Soyuz vehicle if it’s decided and it hasn’t been done yet,” Montalbano said. “But, if it’s decided that it’s an uncrewed Soyuz, Roscosmos would plan the return of the current Soyuz on orbit and collect data so they can use that for future evaluations.”
Officials said the coolant burned off quickly and there are no contamination concerns.
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