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On Saturday, February 11, 2023, the Russian Space Agency announced an unknown cause of a decrease in pressure in a cargo vehicle docked to the International Space Station, but said that the crew was not under threat.
Roscosmos said mission control specialists had detected a decrease in pressure inside the Progress MS-21 cargo spacecraft, which is scheduled to separate from the International Space Station on February 18.
And the agency announced that entry to the vehicle was prohibited and said that an investigation is underway into the cause.
And she continued, “The temperature and pressure regime on board the International Space Station is normal and nothing threatens the life and health of the crew members, and they are fine.”
This is the latest glitch to affect the aging International Space Station after a coolant leak aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked with the station in December.
The Soyuz vehicle will be used to transport the crew to and from the station, while the Progress vehicle will deliver equipment and supplies.
Another Progress vehicle, MS-22, successfully docked with the station earlier on Saturday.
The Soyuz problem forced three of the station’s current crew members, Russians Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petlin, as well as NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, to extend their mission.
The three will return to Earth aboard a replacement Soyuz spacecraft, which Russia is scheduled to launch on Feb. 20.
Russia and the United States still cooperate closely on the International Space Station, despite the severe damage done to their relations by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
There are seven crew members currently on the International Space Station, three Americans, three Russians and a Japanese.
