MOSCOW. Jan 11 (Interfax) - The Soyuz MS-22 spaceship with a damaged radiator will land in unmanned mode, according to Roscosmos head Yury Borisov.
"A conclusion has been drawn from the analysis of the spaceship's condition, thermal estimates and technical documentation that the MS-22 spaceship should land in unmanned mode," Borisov said.
According to him, tests of the motion control system and ship navigation and mathematical modeling of thermal processes during the descent from orbit have been carried out.
"The possible use of the spaceship as a rescue pod for the crew in the event of critical situation at the station will be approved by a special decision of the state commission," Borisov said.
Roscosmos said on December 15, 2022, that a spacewalk of Russian crewmembers of the ISS had been cancelled due to depressurization of the contour of the external radiator of the Soyuz MS-22 spaceship docked with the station.
The damage caused temperatures to soar to 40 degrees Celsius in the ship's assist module and up to 30 degrees Celsius in the residential module. Roscosmos said that the temperatures were not critical and there was no need for the urgent evacuation of the cosmonauts.
Borisov said on December 19, 2022, that a preliminary examination of the Soyuz MS-22 spaceship detected a 0.8mm hole in the cooling system, which caused depressurization.
The Soyuz MS-22 crew comprises Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio.