Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Roscosmos chief, Yuri Borisov.
Image credit: Roscosmos

Russian space officials have decided to postpone the liftoff of a Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft in uncrewed mode until next month.

That decision was made due to an “emergency situation” involving a February 11^th situation that cropped up with the Progress MS-21 supply ship now docked to the International Space Station (ISS).

Roscosmos chief, Yuri Borisov, spoke about the issues that have occurred in recent months at the ISS – a coolant leak from the thermal control system in the piloted Soyuz MS-22 late last year and more recently, a problem with the automated Progress MS-21 spacecraft.

Skin in the game: Soyuz MS-22 coolant leak image from last December.
Image credit: NASA

Commission of experts

Roscosmos notes that there’s been “a violation of the outer skin” of the vehicles.

Meanwhile, a commission of experts is working on the Progress MS-21 case.

“Until the cause of the emergency situation is determined, a decision was made to postpone the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft in unmanned mode until March 2023,” notes a Roscosmos Telegram posting. “We emphasize that nothing threatens the life and health of the crew.”

Soyuz craft undergoing preparation for Feb. 20 launch in uncrewed mode, now pushed to next month.
Image credit: RSC Energia

Systematic error?

In an earlier Roscosmos posting, former cosmonaut Sergey Krikalev addressed the situation with the compromised Progress MS-21. That vehicle has been docked to the station for several months, launched from Baikonur on October 26 atop a Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket.

Former cosmonaut, Sergei Krikalev.
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

According to Krikalev, by inspecting in detail the leak on the Progress MS-21 radiator, the intent is to find out the cause of its occurrence. There is need to make sure that this is not a systematic error, because it may affect the following ships, he noted in a Roscosmos Telegram communiqué.

The compromised Progress MS-21 has been slated to be ditched in the ocean on February 18 – but not clear if that remains to be the case.

Image credit: Roscosmos