The other damaged Soyuz module we previously discussed here will be allowed to de-orbit via remote radio commands -- and in a controlled fashion, then burn-up harmlessly, somewhere over the open Pacific Ocean. It has been deemed unsafe for human transport.
Here's NPR's take on the latest developments -- do read it all:
. . .Russia's space agency is preparing to launch a mission on Friday to provide a ride for two cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut who are on the International Space Station without a designated ship to get home.
The spacecraft that brought the three crew members to the ISS in the fall later experienced a leak in its radiator cooling loop, and officials from both countries had to develop a new plan to get the trio back to Earth. . . .
[Separately, an] unpiloted Russian cargo ship called Progress 82 that was docked at the space station suffered an unexplained depressurization of its coolant loop on Feb. 11.
The leak on Progress 82 was not connected to the planned rescue mission, but it prompted engineers at the Russian Mission Control Center near Moscow to investigate why the cargo vessel lost coolant and postpone the launch of the MS-23. . . .
The new Roscosmos plan remains 5X5, all-green, for a launch this Friday -- but should it encounter issues, SpaceX has said it has a vehicle at the ready, which could accommodate up to four astronauts / Cosmonauts in a pinch.
To be sure, there is plenty of food, water and supplies onboard the ISS for several months yet. . . even if both of those vehicles were to become unavailable. So. . . no worries, other than why several older Soyuz era designs are experiencing coolant leaks once in orbit.
Onward, and now you know.
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