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NASA is considering SpaceX as a backup plan to return the ISS crew to Earth during the Soyuz leak.
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NASA and the Russian space agency are investigating leaks that began in December.
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Two cosmonauts and one cosmonaut were scheduled to return home in March on the Soyuz capsule.
NASA has contacted Elon Musk’s SpaceX to see if it was able to bring three crew members back from the International Space Station (ISS) after a docked Russian spacecraft leaked coolant. I took
American space agency Said In a blog post on Friday, I asked if SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft would have the ability to facilitate its return in the event of an emergency.
The main focus was on understanding the leaked capabilities of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, the agency added.
The Soyuz capsule was scheduled to fly a crew of three to the ISS on September 21 for a six-month mission before returning in March. NASAThe crew consists of two cosmonauts, Sergey Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin, and one American cosmonaut, Frank Rubio.
NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos were working together to investigate the leak and determine next steps, the agency said.
A NASA spokesperson said in a statement, “We have asked SpaceX some questions about its ability to return additional crew members to Dragon if needed, but that is not our primary focus at this time.” Reuters December 28th.
NASA and SpaceX did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
An external leak was first detected in the Soyuz capsule when two Roscosmos astronauts were preparing for a spacewalk. NASA said on December 14th.
picture share A December study by NASA showed a leak resembling white particles erupting from a Soyuz spacecraft docked to the ISS.
Roscosmos said on Dec. 22 that it was considering a “rescue” mission to bring the crew back to Earth ahead of schedule. Reuters reportedAccording to the report, this involves flying an empty spacecraft to the ISS and retrieving it.
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