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Feb 13, 2023
Image above: Progress MS-21 (82P) cargo spacecraft arrival at ISS on October 28, 2022. Image Credits: Roscosmos/NASA.
Director General of Roscosmos State Corporation Yuri Borisov spoke about the work of the commission formed to find out the cause of the depressurization of the thermal control system of the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which occurred on February 11 at the International Space Station.
“Over the past few months, there have been two emergency situations on the ISS related to a violation of the thermal control system of the Soyuz MS-22 and Progress MS-21 spacecraft. They have the same result: the coolant has evaporated and the thermal control regime has been violated, which can affect the safety of the astronauts' flight.
What is Roscosmos doing in this situation? An emergency commission has been created, which considers all options systematically and in detail. Although the result of both abnormal situations is the same, the causes may be different.
Image above: External impact by a meteorite or some kind of space debris on Soyuz MS-22. Image Credit: Roscosmos.
As for the emergency situation that happened to the Soyuz MS-22, we were able to get high-quality images and clearly see the violation of the outer shell. The presence of this hole gives reason to believe that it was the cause of external influence that led to a violation in the thermal control system.
As for the emergency situation that happened on the Progress MS-21, we are taking measures that will allow us to get optics and photograph the place of a possible violation of the outer shell. If this violation is really present, then there is an assumption that this can also be an external impact by a meteorite or some kind of space debris.
Now we are forced in the absence of this information to consider all possible versions. Among other things, we once again check the entire technological process of build a spacecraft and, in particular, the thermal control system.
At the same time, I must emphasize that nothing threatens the safety of the crew. An emergency situation occurred after the docking of the Progress MS-22 spacecraft, when the Progress MS-21 was already prepared for the descent, which was scheduled for February 18. But until we are convinced and get to the place of a possible breakdown, the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft in unmanned mode has been postponed until the maximum of the first decade of March this year.
The commission still has time to unequivocally determine the nature of this malfunction.”
Related articles:
International Space Station Operations Update of Progress 82, Crew Continues Normal Activities
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/international-space-station-operations.html
Sergey Krikalev on the situation with the Progress MS-21 (82P) spacecraft on the ISS
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/sergey-krikalev-on-situation-with.html
ISS - Depressurization in the Progress MS-21 (82P) cargo spacecraft
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/iss-depressurization-in-progress-ms-21.html
Related links:
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/38936/
Progress MS-21: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/progress-ms-21/
Soyuz MS-22: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/sojuz-ms-22/
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/mks/
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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