The Russian National Aerospace Corporation said that the “Soyuz MS-22” spacecraft with damaged radiators will return to Earth in unmanned mode carrying supplies and scientific research equipment.
According to Roscosmos, there will be no astronauts on board, but the Soyuz will then deliver a cargo and scientific equipment to Earth, and cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Anna Kikina have already prepared for the shipment.
The spacecraft will be launched on September 21, 2022, with a planned mission duration of 188 days. Its crew includes NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin.
On December 15, 2022, a “visible sheet flow” occurred in the Soyuz along with a drop in pressure in the external radiator cooling circuit. Preliminary information indicates that the accident was caused by a 0.8 mm diameter hole in the external radiator on the Soyuz MS-22 service module, and officials believe the damage may have been caused by a micrometeoroid or space debris impact.
Since Soyuz MS-22 cannot perform the crew return mission, Russia will launch Soyuz MS-23 around February 20, 2023 to rescue the crew of MS-22, which also causes the original crewed mission of MS-23 to be postponed, and Will be reassigned to MS-24 task. So Soyuz MS-22 may bring back some cargo by then.
