Another Russian Spacecraft Is Leaking At The ISS
Recently in December, the Russian Soyuz MS-22 leaked all of its coolant into space a few months after docking with the International Space Station. The crew of three that it brought are now waiting for a replacement Soyuz scheduled to launch later this month. Unfortunately, NASA just revealed another Russian spacecraft has sprung a leak.
Yesterday, NASA reported that engineers recorded a depressurization in the unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 82 cargo ship’s coolant loop, which is docked to the space-facing Poisk module at the station. Currently, they are not completely sure what the problem is and are working to figure out a solution. This spacecraft originally arrived in October last year and was meant to leave in a few weeks.
Now with this problem coming up, there are a few unknowns regarding its future. This would mark the second time in two months, a Russian spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) has sprung a leak. Here I will go more in-depth into this new leak, what NASA knows at the moment, what to expect in the coming days, and more.
New Leak
Yesterday, NASA tweeted saying “The ISS Progress 83 cargo craft docked to the station early Saturday with no issues. Meanwhile, engineers investigate a coolant leak on the ISS Progress 82 cargo craft due to undock on Feb. 17. The crew is safe and conducting normal operations.” Progress 82 arrived at the ISS on Oct. 28, 2022. The spacecraft delivered almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 68 crew.
Taking a closer look at the leak, NASA reported that engineers at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow recorded a depressurization in the unpiloted Roscosmos Progress 82 cargo ship’s coolant loop, which is docked to the space-facing Poisk module at the station. Currently, the reason for the loss of coolant in the Progress 82 spacecraft is being investigated. The hatches between the Progress 82 and the station are open, and temperatures and pressures aboard the station are all normal. The crew, which was informed of the cooling loop leak, is in no danger and continuing with normal space station operations.
They finished by commenting, “NASA specialists are assisting their Russian counterparts in the troubleshooting of the Progress 82 coolant leak. Officials are monitoring all International Space Station systems and are not tracking any other issues.” So far, this is all the information that has been provided since yesterday afternoon. Due to this issue, it’s unclear if the freighter will still leave on the 17th or if mission controllers will keep it around longer than originally planned to continue the leak investigation. It’s important to point out that Progress vehicles are designed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere when their missions are over, so engineers won’t be able to examine the vehicle on the ground.
Obviously, this leak is quite a big deal since the spacecraft is docked to the ISS. Not to mention the fact that 3 astronauts are waiting for a new spacecraft to arrive to replace a different leaking Soyuz. In all likelihood, NASA and its partners will keep a closer eye on the spacecraft and hold back on its departure. In the coming days, we can expect more updates on their plan with Progress 82.
Russian Spacecraft Leaks
Unfortunately, this new leak marks the second time in only two months, a Russian spacecraft docked with the International Space Station (ISS) has caused significant issues. Back in December, during preparations for a planned spacewalk by Roscosmos cosmonauts, ground teams noticed significant leaking of an unknown substance from the aft portion of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet module on the International Space Station. The spacewalk was canceled, and ground teams in Moscow began evaluating the nature of the fluid and potential impacts to the integrity of the Soyuz spacecraft.
Originally, the Soyuz carried one NASA astronaut and two cosmonauts on a launch in September. A couple days after the leak begun, Roscosmos identified the source of the leak as the external cooling loop of the Soyuz. As part of the ongoing evaluation and investigation, Roscosmos flight controllers conducted a successful test of the Soyuz MS-22 thrusters at 3:08 a.m. EST Friday, Dec. 16. The systems that were tested were nominal, and Roscosmos assessments of additional Soyuz systems continued.
By December 19th, they were continuing to monitor the leak. As part of the ongoing evaluation and investigation, a robotic inspection of the suspected leak area was completed Dec. 18, using cameras on the Canadarm2 robotic arm. A small hole was observed, and the surface of the radiator around the hole showed discoloration. The space station operations and research continued while station managers and international partners collected and analyzed data, and worked to develop a forward course of action for the Soyuz and its crew. With help from the cosmonauts aboard the station, Roscosmos conducted tests on additional Soyuz systems on Dec. 16, including a short demonstration of the spacecraft’s propulsion system. TASS and Roscosmos maintain the cause was likely “a micrometeoroid or space debris.” The hole is roughly 0.8 mm in size and an object that caused a hole of that size would not be trackable with current technology, NASA and other space agencies have said. In total, the leak lasted around 3 hours long.
As a part of the analysis, NASA also reached out to SpaceX about its capability to return additional crew members aboard Dragon if needed in an emergency, although the primary focus was on understanding the post-leak capabilities of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft. However, it was eventually decided that Russia’s space agency will launch an empty Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station in February to replace the damaged spacecraft that is unsafe to return its crew of three to Earth. The empty replacement Soyuz spacecraft will serve as the return craft for NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and the two Roscosmos cosmonauts, who have been living on the International Space Station without a return ship since their MS-22 Soyuz was damaged. This new spacecraft is scheduled to launch just over a week from now on the 20th.
“The main problem to land with the current Soyuz would be thermal conditions,” a veteran Russian cosmonaut and Roscosmos’ executive director for human spaceflight systems, said during the news conference. “Because we lost heat rejection capability on Soyuz, in case we have crew inside and we have all equipment switched on, we may have a high-temperature situation on Soyuz in the equipment compartment and crew compartment.” To put it in perspective, the temperatures inside the Soyuz could reach up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) during a return trip to Earth.
All of these problems in a short period of time bring up questions surrounding the Russian hardware and the safety of these systems. The Soyuz is a series of spacecraft which has been in service since the 1960s. Between the 2011 retirement of the Space Shuttle and the 2020 demo flight of SpaceX Crew Dragon, the Soyuz served as the only means to ferry crew to or from the International Space Station, for which it remains heavily used. Progress on the other hand, is a Russian expendable cargo spacecraft. Its purpose is to deliver the supplies needed to sustain a human presence in orbit. While it does not carry a crew, it can be boarded by astronauts when docked to a space station, hence it is classified as crewed by its manufacturer. Progress is derived from the crewed Soyuz spacecraft and launches on the same launch vehicle, a Soyuz rocket. In reality, the two spacecraft are very similar with the main difference being Progress carries cargo and burns up in the atmosphere after docking with the ISS.
Looking at the design, a Soyuz spacecraft consists of three parts (from front to back): A spheroid orbital module, which provides accommodation for the crew during their mission. A small aerodynamic reentry module, which returns the crew to Earth, and a cylindrical service module with solar panels attached, which contains the instruments and engines. The orbital and service modules are single-use and are destroyed upon reentry in the atmosphere. Though this might seem wasteful, it reduces the amount of heat shielding required for reentry, saving mass compared to designs containing all of the living space and life support in a single capsule. This allows smaller rockets to launch the spacecraft or can be used to increase the habitable space available to the crew. The orbital and reentry portions are habitable living spaces, with the service module containing the fuel, main engines, and instrumentation. The Soyuz is not reusable; its expendable, and a new Soyuz spacecraft must be made for every mission.
While the spacecraft has been extremely reliable over the years, the recent issues bring up concerns. Especially when compared to modern spacecraft such as SpaceX’s Dragon, it helps highlight the difference in technology and even comfort. Either way, a lot of work will need to be done to ensure no more leaks or problems happen in the future.
Conclusion
Just yesterday NASA revealed that a different Russian spacecraft attached to the ISS has sprung a leak. Specifically, the Progress 82 cargo craft scheduled to leave in only days is now being investigated to figure out exactly what is going wrong. In the coming days, we can expect more information from the agency. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.
