NASA Mulls Using SpaceX to Rescue Astronauts After Russia’s Space Station Leak
On Dec. 15, NASA and its astronauts faced a scary situation when a Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked to the International Space Station sprung a massive coolant leak, shortly before a spacewalk was set to commence by a pair of Russian cosmonauts. The crew on board is safe and not in any immediate danger, but two cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut were supposed to use the Soyuz vehicle to return back to Earth early next year. With the spacecraft’s status in limbo, NASA and Roscosmos (Russia’s space agency) have been trying to figure out their options for how to move forward.
To that end, NASA is pondering one contingency plan: using a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to effectively rescue the stranded astronauts in the coming months.
“International Space Station teams continue to meet about the Soyuz MS-22’s external cooling loop leak,” a NASA spokesperson told The Daily Beast in an emailed statement. “NASA and Roscosmos will continue to review options together before making a final decision on how to safely bring the crew home. The Expedition 68 crew remains in good condition, performing maintenance and research activities.