Officials at Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, and officials at NASA are determining how ot bring home several people at the International Space Station after a Russian Soyuz spacecraft developed a leak last week. None of the seven people on board the ISS were in any danger as a result of the leak, but it is not yet clear if the spacecraft will be able to make a trip back home with its crew on board.
The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft ferried one astronaut from Nasa and two Russian cosmonauts to the ISS on September 21. The vessel was scheduled to bring them back to Earth in March, but Russia is evaluating whether to fly its next Soyuz mission to the ISS empty and move the launch up two or three weeks. This way, the next spacecraft can serve as a rescue vehicle for the three astronauts if the Soyuz MS-22 is deemed unsafe for the crew to return in. The Soyuz MS-22 is currently attached to the ISS at one of the eight docking ports. The leak was identified on December 14 and caused a delay for a planned spacewalk by two cosmonauts last week. It is not yet clear what caused the leak.
Read More: NASA and Russia weigh options for astronaut return after spacecraft leak
