NASA specialists are collaborating with their Russian counterparts to investigate a coolant leak in the thermal control system aboard the Progress MS-21 spacecraft, currently docked to the International Space Station. The information comes via a Russian news outlet that quotes the space agency’s official press service and underscores the ongoing cooperative effort between the U.S. and Russia in space operations.
According to the report, NASA experts are actively assisting Roscosmos in pinpointing the root causes of the coolant leak on Progress MS-21. The collaboration highlights a shared priority: maintaining the safety and reliability of all ISS systems while continuing scientific and logistical activities in orbit without disruption.
Officials indicated that mission control teams are closely monitoring every subsystem on the space station to ensure unimpeded performance. At the time of the briefing, there were no signs of additional issues affecting the ISS’s critical infrastructure or daily operations, which reflects effective fault management and robust support from international partners.
Earlier updates had already noted a coolant leak from the thermal control system of Progress MS-21. Engineers from both agencies have been conducting diagnostic procedures, evaluating sensor data, and conducting system checks to determine whether the leak is an isolated anomaly or part of a broader fault within the cargo ship’s cooling network.
Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Space Programs, Sergey Krikalev, stated that the agency intends to thoroughly analyze the cause of the depressurization observed on Progress MS-21. His comments emphasize a methodical approach to fault analysis, incorporating data from multiple sources and cross-agency review to arrive at a definitive cause-and-effect understanding.
If the assessment confirms a depressurization incident, the plan involves removing the unmanned spacecraft from its current orbit and planning a controlled disposal over the ocean. This process, scheduled for mid-February, would follow standard procedure for handling a spacecraft that has encountered a fault associated with its propulsion or thermal systems and cannot be safely continued in orbit.