Sergei Krikalev, the executive director of manned programs at Roscoscad, described the idea of sending Russian cosmonauts aboard the Crew Dragon to replace a defective Soyuz MS-22 as a plan fraught with notable risk. Due to mounting safety concerns, the United States rhetoric around this proposal was ultimately shelved. This stance, reported in industry briefings, signals a cautious, methodical approach to crew safety during a sensitive phase of spacecraft integration and mission scheduling, where even small missteps could ripple across international spaceflight commitments.
Krikalev explained that while the concept might hold theoretical merit, the practical realities of space operations would likely surface as soon as the plan was put into action. The crew faced newly identified risk factors that could complicate mission execution, from hardware interfaces to life-support contingencies, prompting a decision to minimize hazards before advancing. The move to disband the provisional crew and revert to a more conservative strategy aligned with established risk management practices that guide international human spaceflight work, especially when technical uncertainties are on the rise and cross-border cooperation depends on shared safety standards.
He noted that deploying crews on the Crew Dragon could be feasible in principle, yet it would require exact recalculations of mass distribution, onboard life-support implications, and robust contingencies for potential anomalies. The analysis would have to account for how shifted mass would affect maneuvering, docking sequences, and landing profiles, and how those factors could alter the balance of systems during thrust transitions and system redundancies. Given these considerations, the team concluded that proceeding without extensive risk mitigation would be imprudent for a mission involving human life and the need to preserve international trust and mission integrity.
Earlier communications confirmed that Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, along with American astronaut Francisco Rubio, were planned to return to Earth in September 2023 aboard the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft. This framework reflected ongoing bilateral cooperation in space exploration and a shared aim to synchronize international crew rotations amid evolving vehicle configurations and safety protocols. Coverage of these developments highlighted the collaborative decisions that shaped the mission timeline and reentry strategy, underscoring how allied agencies adapt to new configurations while maintaining rigorous crew safety standards.