Russia is considering a "bailout" plan to send an empty spacecraft to the International Space Station, to bring back cosmonauts stranded there after the Soyuz crew capsule suffered a puncture while docked at the orbital outpost.
Roscosmos and NASA officials said in a press conference Thursday that they are continuing to investigate how the capsule's outer radiator suffered a small hole last week, as two astronauts were preparing for a routine flight into space.
The supervisor of human spaceflight programs at the Russian "Roskosmos", Sergey Krikalev, said that the damage is currently being assessed. No final decision has yet been made on the best means of returning the capsule crew members to Earth, whether by launching another Soyuz vehicle or in the damaged capsule without the coolant.
According to Krikalev, if the thermal analysis - which assesses the air temperature inside the cabin - concludes that the capsule is not suitable for manned flights, then another "Soyuz" capsule can be launched in mid-March from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
This is not the first leak on Soyuz. In 2018, the capsule had a leak that was repaired after causing a small pressure loss that did not cause any damage.
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