THE NASA analyzed whether the spaceship of SpaceX dragon may provide an alternative for some members of the International Space Station to a Russian capsule have a coolant leak while docked with the orbital lab.
NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos are investigating the cause of a punctured pipe in an external cooler on Russia’s Soyuz MS22 spacecraft, which is due to return its team of two cosmonauts and a US astronaut to Earth early next year.
+ SpaceX rocket launches first global water research mission
+ NASA contracts with a startup to produce a 3D printer that will be used on the moon
But the Dec. 14 leak that drained the Soyuz of a vital fluid used to regulate the crew’s cabin temperature derailed routines at the Russian space station as engineers in Moscow assessed whether another Soyuz should be launched to get the crew ISS aboard the MS22 Craft.
If Russia cannot launch another Soyuz capsule, or for some reason decides against it as it would be too risky, NASA will examine another option. “We have asked SpaceX some questions about their ability to bring additional crew members back to Dragon if needed, but that is not our primary focus at this time,” NASA spokeswoman Sandra Jones said in a statement. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
It was unclear what NASA specifically asked about the capabilities of SpaceX’s Dragon team, e.g. B. if the company can find a way to increase the crew capacity of the Dragon currently docked at the station or launch an empty capsule to rescue the crew.
However, the company’s potential involvement in a Russianled mission underscores the level of precautions NASA is taking to ensure its astronauts can return to Earth safely should one of the other contingency plans arranged by Russia materialize.