Roskosmos has postponed the departure window for the damaged Progress MS-21 from orbit, with a State Commission review guiding the ship’s next flight plan today. The organization stated that the decision would determine how to proceed with the spacecraft in orbit. [Source: Roscosmos]
Roskosmos explained that after Progress separated from the Poisk module on the International Space Station, video footage showed no visible exterior damage. Officials are weighing two paths: continue to deorbit Progress MS-21 and bring it home, or return it to the ISS to dock with the Prichal module to investigate the root cause of the depressurization within the thermal control system. [Citation: Roscosmos]
Earlier in the morning, Roskosmos confirmed that the spacecraft had cleared the Russian segment of the ISS. After Progress MS-21 detached at 05:26, operators used the teleoperation system to rotate the vehicle and capture imagery of the site where damage occurred. [Attribution: Roscosmos]
The Progress location within its port is slated to be reassigned to the Soyuz MS-23 unmanned mission, which had been scheduled to launch on February 20. Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov later announced a delay to the first half of March. The exact launch date for Soyuz MS-23—meant to bring home Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin along with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio—will be set in the coming days. [Source: Roscosmos]
Before Progress MS-21’s STATUS change, Prokopiev and Petelin opened the hull, removed an air duct, disengaged quick-release clamps at a joint, sealed transfer hatches between Progress and the Poisk module, and verified system tightness. They also practiced orienting a video capture workflow for the ship’s exterior in the onboard simulator’s teleoperation mode. [Cited: Roscosmos]
What happened to Progress and Soyuz?
Issues with Russia’s spacecraft on the ISS have roots dating back to late 2022. On December 15, the crew of Soyuz MS-22 reported a sensor triggering and a drop in pressure within the cooling system. NASA’s broadcasts showed jets of coolant escaping into space, suggesting a leak in the thermal control system. While some outlets claimed temperatures spiked to around 50 C, Roskosmos stated the temperature remained within operating ranges and did not threaten the crew. [Attribution: NASA/Roscosmos]
Inspection of the damaged hull section with an external manipulator revealed a leak in the MCC cooling radiator. Early analyses pointed to a potential meteoroid impact or space debris collision as the cause of the depressurization. This theory received later confirmation—the state commission concluded that a high-speed impact of debris led to the damage. The expedition of the ISS crew was extended, and plans moved toward launching the Soyuz MS-23 unmanned vehicle on February 20. [Citation: State Commission]
That launch, however, was postponed because Progress MS-21’s contour could not complete its planned docking by February 18; the craft was found to be unpressurized. Borisov stressed that while the problems involve two different vehicles, their root causes may differ. He noted that Progress was isolated from the main ISS volume to prevent any broader impact on the station. [Reference: Roscosmos]