The malfunctioning Soyuz MS-22 space capsule will detach from the International Space Station (ISS) and return to Earth at the end of March, Volodymyr Solovyov, flight director of the Russian segment of the ISS, announced on Monday, DPA reports. and Agerpres agencies.

A liquid leak was detected on the outside of the Soyuz MS-22 space capsule through a hole less than one millimeter in sizePhoto: – / Sputnik / Profimedia

He did not name the exact date in this regard, reports Interfax.

The Russian space agency Roscosmos plans to detach the uncrewed capsule with a payload of 200 to 250 kilograms on board and send it back to Earth. He will land with the help of parachutes in the steppe area in Kazakhstan.

In recent weeks, two Russian spacecraft attached to the structure of the ISS have suffered a leak. The cargo ship Progress MS-21 was destroyed in a controlled accident on Sunday, its wreckage falling into the Pacific Ocean.

In December, a leak was discovered on board the Soyuz MS-22 capsule designed for manned flights.

A technical error delayed the return to Earth of Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio. The crew will return to Earth on Friday with the next Soyuz MS-23 capsule.

Read also:

  • A brief history of unfortunate incidents involving Russian spacecraft over the past 5 years
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