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Was it sabotage? Russian chief has a shocking suspicion about space station leak, caused by drilled hole

‘There is a version that we do not rule out: deliberate interference in space’

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In this image made from video provided by Nasa, cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev flings a Sirius nano-satellite into orbit from the International Space Station on Wednesday, August 15. Photo: AP
Agence France-Presse

Russia launched checks Tuesday after its space chief said an air leak on the International Space Station last week could have been deliberate sabotage.

Space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin said the hole detected Thursday in a Russian spacecraft docked at the orbiting station was caused by a drill and could have been done deliberately, either back on Earth or by astronauts in space.

Astronauts used tape to seal the leak after it caused a small loss of pressure that was not life-threatening.

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“There were several attempts at drilling,” Rogozin said late Monday in televised comments, adding that the drill appeared to have been held by a “wavering hand”.

“What is this: a production defect or some premeditated actions?” he asked.

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“We are checking the Earth version. But there is another version that we do not rule out: deliberate interference in space.”
Roscosmos state space corporation head Dmitry Rogozin. Photo: AP
Roscosmos state space corporation head Dmitry Rogozin. Photo: AP
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