Russia considers ways to return space crew after capsule leak
Al JazeeraDec 23, 2022
The Facts
Russia's unmanned "rescue" spacecraft, which launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday, has arrived in orbit on its mission to return one American and two Russian astronauts from the International Space Station. They were originally intended to ride Soyuz MS-22 back to Earth, however, it was determined to be "not viable" due to a radiator leak.
Though the spacecraft will dock at the space station on Sunday, Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin and Sergei Prokopyev, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, won't return to Earth until later this year.
The Spin
Narrative A
Joint US-Russia space projects have been, and continue to be, isolated from the conflicts back on Earth. Though there has been some talk of Russia leaving the International Space Station, the two global foes have managed to continue working together for the betterment of science and humanity.
Narrative B
It was a short-sighted decision from the US to rely on Russia for the success of its space missions. The recent events in Ukraine underscore the need to immediately break this dependency and for the US to develop its own capabilities.
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