Russian spacecraft leaks coolant, International Space Station crew reported safe
- Roscosmos said the hatch between the station and the Progress MS-21 had been locked so the incident didn’t affect the orbiting outpost
- Roscosmos has launched a probe into a possible cause of the cooling loop leak
An unstaffed Russian supply ship docked at the International Space Station has leaked coolant, the Russian space corporation and Nasa reported on Saturday, saying the incident doesn’t pose any danger to the station’s crew.
Roscosmos said the hatch between the station and the Progress MS-21 had been locked so the incident didn’t affect the orbiting outpost.
“The temperature and pressure on board the station are within norms and there is no danger to health and safety of the crew,” it said in a statement.
The initial statement from Roscosmos left it unclear whether the entire cargo ship or just some of its systems lost pressure, but Sergei Krikalev, head of Roscosmos’ crewed programmes, later clarified that there was depressurisation of the craft’s coolant loop.
01:55
Russia to send rescue mission to International Space Station after capsule leak
Nasa said its specialists are assisting their Russian counterparts in the troubleshooting of the coolant leak.