Russia Finds Hole In ISS-Docked Soyuz Spacecraft

Photo Credit: NASA

A Russian spacecraft that is currently docked at the International Space Station, and was scheduled to ferry three astronauts back to Earth, started leaking uncontrollably last week.

The Soyuz spacecraft sprayed a huge mist of coolant into outer space. The incident forced Roscosmos officials to figure out ways to cool the capsule and stop the leak, which reportedly heated up at 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

What Caused The Leak?

A recent inspection done with the help of Canadarm2, a long manipulator arm attached to the outside of ISS, shed light on a 0.8-millimeter hole that could have caused the leak, as reported by Russian state-owned media network TASS.

According to the officials, micrometeorites were the cause behind the damage, however, the plan for bringing back astronauts home is yet to be confirmed. Roscosmos head Yury Borisov called it a "not very pleasant" situation, but denied that the spacecraft reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit of temperatures, TASS reported.

The Russian space agency also claimed that the Soyuz capsule’s habitation module is currently at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, while its equipment compartment sits are 104 degrees. Roscosmos said that the temperatures follow the acceptable limits for cosmonauts.

Will Soyuz Bring Back Astronauts?

While the spacecraft might be in a stable state, it’s highly unlikely that cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will make their return trip on a leaky spacecraft.

According to a report from Ars Technica, Roscosmos is currently trying to figure out if the capsule can return to Earth or if a fresh Soyuz will need to be launched to bring back the astronauts. As of now, all we can do is sit back and see what NASA and Roscosmos decide for the astronauts waiting for their flight back home.

The leak might have affected the Soyuz spacecraft's coolant system performance but thankfully it didn’t put any crew members aboard the ISS in danger. Initial assessments of the Soyuz showed that the spacecraft is flyable and NASA will be using the Canadarm2 robotic arm to assess the damage further. It remains to be seen how both space agencies overcome this hurdle and bring the astronauts - cosmonauts home.