The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced on Monday February 13 to postpone until early March at the latest the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft supposed to bring three astronauts back to Earth after the discovery of a new leak aboard another spacecraft, docked at the International Space Station (ISS).
On Saturday February 11, Roscosmos had indicated in a press release that it had detected “
a drop in pressure in the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which is to undock from the ISS on February 18
” and “
study the reasons
”.
"
The temperature and pressure on board the ISS are at normal levels
", had however reassured the Russian agency, remarks similar to those of NASA published in a separate press release: "
The crew (...) is not threatened
”.
Launch postponed to March
This Monday, the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borissov, declared that due to this incident, the origin of which is verified by an "
emergency commission
", "
the launch of the unmanned Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft has been postponed to the first ten days of March at the latest
”.
This new incident comes two months after a first leak in a ship docked to the ISS, which was then supposed to bring back to Earth two Russian cosmonauts and their American colleague Frank Rubio.
This leak, which resulted in a brownish stain on the outside of the machine according to a photo released Monday by Roscosmos, had above all caused a “
slight
” rise in temperature according to the Russian agency.
Forced to find a solution, the agency has planned to send another ship to recover the trio of astronauts whose mission must be completed in the next few days.
It is this alternative vessel whose departure was officially postponed on Monday.
Read alsoWhat future for the International Space Station after the surprise announcement of the Russian withdrawal?
"
Although the result of the two emergency situations is the same, the causes may be different
," said Yuri Borissov on Monday about the two leaks that occurred almost in quick succession.
The ISS is one of the few fields of cooperation still in progress between Moscow and Washington since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, launched on February 24, and the Western sanctions that followed.
