A Soyuz space capsule that suffered a major coolant leak in December left the International Space Station without a crew early Tuesday (March 28) to return to Earth for engineers to study.
A leaky Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft blasted off from its docking port on the International Space Station’s Russian-made Rassvet module without any astronauts on board — a rarity for Russia’s space agency Roscosmos. Space Program – 5:57 AM EST (0957 GMT). The Soyuz will touch down on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 7:46 a.m. EDT (1146 GMT) about 91 miles southeast of Dzhezkazgan, but NASA did not broadcast the landing live. Roscosmos It was broadcasted live on YouTube (Opens in a new tab) .
“The process of de-orbiting and descending to Earth was going smoothly,” Roscosmos officials said. Advertise on Telegram (Opens in a new tab) after landing. The images showed the spacecraft descending under its parachute and resting on its side after landing.
NASA spokesman Rob Navias said the Soyuz MS-22 capsule left orbit just 55 minutes after it was de-launched, much sooner than 2.5 hours, since it is unmanned. He added that the spacecraft also gave off a longer-than-usual burn as it left the International Space Station.
Related: Russia publishes pictures of the damage to the Soyuz spacecraft
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Russia’s Soyuz MS-22 space capsule slides under its main parachute as it lands on the steppes of Kazakhstan on March 28, 2023. (Image credit: Roscosmos)
The landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-22 space capsule on the steppes of Kazakhstan on March 28, 2023. (Image credit: Roscosmos)
Russia’s Soyuz MS-22 space capsule rests on its side after landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan on March 28, 2023. (Image credit: Roscosmos)
Russia’s Soyuz MS-22 space capsule slides under its main parachute as it lands on the steppes of Kazakhstan on March 28, 2023. (Image credit: Roscosmos)
Roscosmos launched the MS-22 Soyuz spacecraft in September 2022 to carry Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petlin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio to the International Space Station on a six-month mission. But in December, just mid-flight, the Soyuz capsule developed an uncontrollable leak on December 14 that vented precious space coolant.
Roscosmos engineers blamed the leak on a micrometeor impact, even as they studied a similar leak in early February on another unmanned Progress cargo ship.
Without a coolant, engineers were concerned that temperatures inside the Soyuz MS-22 capsule would reach a sweltering 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) during its return to Earth, too high for the human crew to make the trip comfortably, NASA officials said. A subsequent temperature check by astronauts wearing spacesuits inside the stricken Soyuz found that temperatures would indeed have risen due to the lack of coolant, Navias said, but “not to unsafe levels.”
However, the leak left Rubio and his Russian companions without a ride home or a lifeboat at the station for emergencies. That ended on February 23, when Roscosmos released an empty Soyuz MS-23 capsule to the station for the three cosmonauts. They will now return to Earth later this year, possibly in late September after spending an entire year in space.
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A Russian Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is seen after exiting the International Space Station with a bright blue Earth in the background on March 28, 2023. The Soyuz craft suffered a coolant leak in December 2022 and returned to Earth without a crew. (Image credit: NASA TV)
A Russian Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is seen after exiting the International Space Station with a bright blue Earth in the background on March 28, 2023. The Soyuz craft suffered a coolant leak in December 2022 and returned to Earth without a crew. (Image credit: NASA TV)
Meanwhile, Soyuz MS-22 will return to Earth packed with scientific experiments that can withstand high internal temperatures, Roscosmos said. via Telegram post (Opens in a new tab) . The agency said it was also carrying old navigation units, Russian space suit sleeves from Orlan, television cameras and other equipment.
An image posted on Telegram by the Russian space agency Roscosmos shows the location of the coolant leak and the reported meteorite strike. (Image credit: Roscosmos via Telegram)
“About 218 kilograms of cargo, including the results of scientific experiments and ISS equipment for analysis or reuse, is expected to be returned to Earth on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft,” Roscosmos officials said. According to a news report, Tass (Opens in a new tab) .
Roscosmos officials said the recovery team will recover the Soyuz capsule after landing so it can be studied to better understand how the coolant leak occurred, as well as what it’s like to land without coolant to help with future missions.
Email: Tariq Malik tmalik@space.com or follow it @employee . Follow us @employee And Facebook And Instagram .
