Russia Delays Soyuz MS-23 Launch While Investigations Continue
The Soyuz MS-23 mission has been postponed until at least the early days of March as a thorough check for potential malfunctions proceeds. The plan remains to return Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin, along with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, to Earth aboard the Soyuz MS-23 when it lifts off again. Authorities emphasize that the unmanned launch will not proceed until all systems are verified to be functioning correctly.
Yury Borisov, head of Roscosmos, explained to reporters that the unmanned launch was delayed to ensure confidence in the spacecraft after a system review. The decision was confirmed by officials and later reported by TASS. The original launch date had been set for February 20, but a problem emerged with another mission in the same program after investigators found an issue with the cargo craft Progress MS-21, which was scheduled to complete its mission at the International Space Station on February 18. The Progress vehicle proved unpressurized during a critical phase, triggering a formal review. The Russian space agency formed a special commission to determine the cause of the depressurization. During recent inquiries, it was noted that two separate emergencies had affected the ISS propulsion and cooling systems, both of which involved Soyuz and Progress hardware. The commission is evaluating all possible explanations for the observed malfunctions, and officials caution that the ultimate cause of the two events may differ even if the outcomes appear similar. The overall situation is being handled with careful, stepwise analysis. (Roscosmos)”