Borisov: “Soyuz MS-22” could be damaged by space debris or meteorite

According to the preliminary conclusion of the Roscosmos commission, the radiator of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft could damage a micrometeorite or space debris, Yury Borisov, director general of the state corporation, said on Wednesday.

According to him, the ship was found to have damage to the outer contour, which, “apparently”, was caused by either a micrometeorite or space debris.

At the same time, Borisov emphasized: “So far, this is the preliminary conclusion of our commission: it could damage the radiator, which led to a coolant leak.”

Borisov made such a statement on the air of the Russia 24 TV channel.

A leak from the ship’s cooling system occurred on December 15 due to damage to the outer skin of the instrument-aggregate compartment. NASA, in its broadcast, showed how fountains of technical liquid were being shot from the Soyuz. The spacewalk of Russian cosmonauts was cancelled.

According to the executive director of Roskosmos, Sergei Krikalev, the cause of the damage may be a micrometeorite hit.

The incident did not affect the life of the crew of the spacecraft, noted in Roskosmos, there is no need for emergency evacuation of astronauts. To maintain a comfortable temperature in the living space of the spacecraft, cooled air is supplied from the ISS Russian Segment.

Borisov previously reported that the reserve Soyuz MS-23 would be ready for launch by February 19. However, he nevertheless expressed the hope that such measures would not be needed and the flight would be completed normally.

Cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev, Dmitry Petelin and Anna Kikina are currently working on the ISS. Prokopiev and Petelin flew to the ISS on Soyuz MS-22 together with US astronaut Frank Rubio. Kikin was delivered by the American ship Crew Dragon.