U.S. and Russia Reach Agreement to Utilize Russian Vessel for Backup Space Station Expedition

The U.S. and Russian Space Agencies Have Come To an Agreement That a Russian Spacecraft Will Be Sent To the International Space Station Next Month To Bring Back the three people who were sent there on a Russian vessel that had a leak.

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Authorities are still deciding when the three astronauts will board the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft for their journey back to Earth after it connects to the research station. It is anticipated that they will stay in orbit for a longer period of time than the six months initially planned.

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Despite the current political tensions between the United States and Russia, the two countries' space agencies have continued to collaborate on space missions. According to officials from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the International Space Station is run by a partnership that includes NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. This station utilizes technology from all four agencies.

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In December, the Russian-made spacecraft that had taken NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin to the facility began to experience a leak, as reported by both NASA and the Russian space agency.

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Roscosmos reported that a micrometeorite punctured a component on the vehicle, causing the leak. At a briefing on Wednesday, Joel Montalbano, NASA's program manager for the space station, stated that the images of the issue indicated that debris was the source of the leak. He added, "So far we are in agreement with Roscosmos."
NASA and Roscosmos are also looking into potential solutions in the event of an unexpected situation, according to officials, due to the harm done to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

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NASA has been in talks with SpaceX about the possibility of evacuating more people from the station in an emergency, according to Mr. Montalbano. This could involve one or more individuals boarding the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that is currently docked at the facility for a journey back to Earth, he added.

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At a briefing, Sergei Krikalev, the executive director for human space flight programs at Roscosmos, stated that the Soyuz vehicle that experienced the leak could be used in an emergency, but with an increased level of danger.
Our team, in collaboration with NASA, is exploring various ways to reduce potential risks, including the possibility of having one of the crew members board SpaceX's vessel, according to the speaker.

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Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the official name of the business led by Elon Musk, did not reply to a request for comment.

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In October, SpaceX completed a mission for NASA that involved transporting two NASA astronauts, one Japanese astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station. This mission was part of NASA's initiative to hire aerospace companies to handle crew and cargo runs to the station.

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Anna Kikina, a cosmonaut from Russia, was part of the SpaceX mission as part of an exchange between Roscosmos and NASA. As part of the agreement, NASA's Mr. Rubio flew to the station on the Russian spacecraft that addressed the leak.
NASA, Roscosmos, and other space agencies have been making plans for the future of the International Space Station, a place where astronauts and cosmonauts can collaborate on experiments and carry out scientific research.

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In July of this year, Yury Borisov, the head of the Russian space agency, announced that Roscosmos would be withdrawing from the facility at some point after 2024. Later, during a briefing with NASA officials, Mr. Krikalev, the agency's human-spaceflight executive, suggested that a decision about Russia's involvement in the station could be made as soon as 2025 or even in 2030.

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NASA is aiming to keep the station running until 2030. To achieve this, they are collaborating with space companies, such as Blue Origin LLC owned by Jeff Bezos and Northrop Grumman Corp., to create privately operated stations.
This article was co-authored by Ann M. Simmons.