For technical reasons
On the morning of December 15, negotiations with the ISS crew’s ground services revealed that the spacewalk planned for 5:20 Moscow time by Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin was postponed due to a depressurization in the cooling system. The Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft remained docked to the station as the situation was assessed.
During a NASA broadcast, viewers could see jets of technical fluid leaking from the spacecraft. The crew photographed the affected Soyuz MS-22 from the ISS windows and conducted an initial examination with the ERA robotic arm’s cameras. Earth-based experts began analyzing the captured imagery for signs of damage or abnormal operation.
The NASA broadcast director stated that no danger threatened the two Russian cosmonauts or the rest of the ISS crew.
Roskosmos announced the departure of astronauts from the Russian Federation would be canceled for technical reasons.
Officials noted that the VKD-56 program had been suspended for technical reasons. Before the hatch opening procedure began, the crew reported the signaling device of one diagnostic system on the Soyuz MS-22 had been active. This information appeared on the state agency’s Telegram channel.
Roskosmos later indicated on its website that preliminary information suggested damage to the outer coating of the instrument-assembly compartment of the manned transport vehicle Soyuz MS-22.
The crew reported that the diagnostic system’s warning device detected a cooling-system pressure drop. A visual inspection confirmed a leak, after which non-vehicle activities were halted for safety reasons.
Roskosmos also noted that astronaut Anna Kikina used a camera in the Nauka laboratory module to document the exterior of the damaged spacecraft. The footage and photos were transmitted to Earth for review.
As of now, Roscosmos confirmed that all ISS systems and the spacecraft are operating normally and that the crew remains safe.
Ship Change
A Roscosmos source told RIA Novosti that the Soyuz MS-22 incident could affect the next crewed launch, Soyuz MS-23, which was scheduled for March 16, 2023. The source suggested the date might be adjusted earlier due to the accident on MS-22.
Another agency source described the thermal-control issue on MS-22 as very serious, warning that instrument temperatures and humidity could no longer be reliably controlled. In such a scenario, the spacecraft could overheat on the sunlit side and freeze when traversing the Earth’s shadow during orbital operations with the ISS.
The assessment indicated that Roscosmos specialists were prioritizing measures to ensure a safe thermal environment for onboard instruments.
Previous Events
The latest cancellation marked the second time Prokopiev and Petelin postponed a spacewalk during their current mission.
Five spacewalks were planned for the pair. The first, on November 17, proceeded normally as they prepared a radiator for transfer and secured a fastening system for large items in the Nauka module.
The second spacewalk, set for November 25, involved transferring a radiator-heat exchanger from the Rassvet module to Nauka. About half an hour before the launch, the activity was postponed to December 15 due to an abnormal operation of the cooling-system pumps in one of the spacesuits.
The day before, Roscosmos announced via its Telegram channel that the cosmonauts would bypass the ISS to complete the radiator transfer to Nauka, using the ERA manipulator to move the radiator from Rassvet and install it on Nauka.
Officials indicated that the Poisk module’s exit door would open at 5:20 Moscow time, with an estimated duration of 6 hours and 37 minutes for the planned work.
They also noted that the spacewalk, scheduled to occur under constant sunlight, would take place as the Sun’s position relative to the ISS orbital plane created a unique lighting condition. Roscosmos described this situation as a consequence of the winter solstice, explaining why the crew would work in steady daylight even as the station circled into Earth’s night side.