Russia ‘expected’ to launch rescue ship to ISS on Feb 24: official

Russia’s space company stated Saturday it was planning to ship a rescue ship on February 24 to deliver residence three astronauts whose return automobile was broken by a tiny meteoroid.

“The launch is anticipated on February 24,” a spokesman for the Roscosmos space company advised AFP.

Final Monday, the space company stated it had delayed the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, saying a provide ship docked on the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) had leaked coolant.

The Soyuz MS-22 flew Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin and Sergei Prokopyev and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to the ISS in September.

They have been scheduled to return residence in the identical spacecraft, but it surely started leaking coolant in mid-December after being hit by what US and Russian space officers imagine was a tiny space rock.

In January, Russia stated that it will ship an empty spacecraft to the ISS in February to deliver residence the three astronauts.

Final Monday, the launch was postponed after one other vessel—a Russian provide ship docked on the ISS, the Progress MS-21—had additionally leaked coolant, sparking concern.

Earlier on Saturday, the Russian space company stated that chief designers had now advisable that the launch of the rescue ship be set for 03:34 am (00:34 GMT) on February 24.

The Soyuz MS-23 had been fastidiously examined, and no harm had been discovered, the space company stated.

Now a state fee has to log out on the brand new date.

The Roscosmos official advised AFP that the state fee was extensively anticipated to approve the brand new launch date.

The Progress provide ship shall be de-orbited on February 19, the space agency stated in a separate assertion.

© 2023 AFP