Russian space capsule leak likely caused by micrometeorite
A Russian space official says a coolant leak from a Russian space capsule attached to the International Space Station was likely caused by a micrometeorite strike
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A coolant leak from a Russian space capsule attached to the International Space Station was likely caused by a micrometeorite strike, a Russian space official said Thursday.
Russia's space corporation Roscosmos and NASA both have said that the incident hasn't posed any danger to the station's crew.
Sergei Krikalev, a veteran cosmonaut who serves as the director of crewed space flight programs at Roscosmos, said the coolant leak from the Soyuz MS-22 capsule could have been caused by a meteorite striking one of its radiators. Krikalev said in a statement that the malfunction could affect the capsule's coolant system performance but doesn't endanger the crew.
The coolant leak prompted a pair of Russian cosmonauts to abort a planned spacewalk earlier in the day.
Krikalev said Russian flight controllers were continuing to assess the situation and following temperature indicators on the Soyuz, but emphasized that “there have been no other changes in parameters on the Soyuz spacecraft and the station, so there is no threat for the crew.”
“NASA and Roscosmos will continue to work together to determine the next course of action following the ongoing analysis,” NASA said. “The crew members aboard the space station are safe, and were not in any danger during the leak.”
Just as Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin were about to venture outside the station on a planned spacewalk earlier Thursday, ground specialists saw a stream of fluid and particles on a live video feed from space, along with a pressure drop on instruments, emanating from the Soyuz capsule. Prokopyev, Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio used the capsule to arrive at the International Space Station in September, and it serves as a lifeboat for the crew.
Along with them, four other crew members are currently on the space outpost — NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Koichi Wakata and Anna Kikina of Roscosmos.