“The temperature and strain on board the station are inside norms and there’s no hazard to well being and security of the crew,” it stated in a press release.

The preliminary assertion from Roscosmos left it unclear whether or not your complete cargo ship or simply a few of its techniques misplaced strain, however Sergei Krikalev, head of Roscosmos’ crewed applications, later clarified that there was depressurization of the craft’s coolant loop.

NASA stated its specialists are aiding their Russian counterparts within the troubleshooting of the coolant leak.

“Officers are monitoring all Worldwide House Station techniques and usually are not monitoring some other points,” NASA stated. “The crew, which was knowledgeable of the cooling loop leak, is in no hazard and persevering with with regular house station operations.”

The depressurization of the cargo craft’s coolant loop follows an analogous incident in December with the Soyuz crew capsule, which Russian house officers stated had been brought on by a tiny meteoroid that left a small gap within the exterior radiator and despatched coolant spewing into house.

Roscosmos has launched a probe right into a doable reason behind the cooling loop leak, and Krikalev stated that specialists will intently take a look at supplies and applied sciences utilized in spacecraft manufacturing as a part of the probe.

“We have to conduct a radical evaluation to make it possible for it wouldn’t have an effect on related elements that will probably be used sooner or later,” Krikalev stated. “That is a very powerful job.”

Roscosmos famous that earlier than the leak the cargo ship had already been loaded with waste previous to its scheduled disposal. The craft is about to be undocked from the station and deorbit to burn within the environment on Feb. 18.

The announcement got here shortly after a brand new Russian cargo ship docked easily on the station on Saturday. The Progress MS-22 delivered nearly three tons of meals, water and gas together with scientific gear for the crew.

Roscosmos stated that the incident didn’t have an effect on the docking of the brand new cargo ship and “can have no impression on the longer term station program.”

Russian Cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio had been supposed to make use of the Soyuz crew capsule to return to Earth in March, however Russian house officers determined that larger temperatures ensuing from the coolant leak may make it harmful to make use of.

They determined to launch a brand new Soyuz capsule on Feb. 20 so the crew have a lifeboat within the occasion of an emergency. However since it is going to journey in computerized mode to expedite the launch, a alternative crew will now have to attend till late summer season or fall when one other capsule is prepared. It signifies that Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio must keep a number of further months on the station, probably pushing their mission to shut to a yr.

NASA took half in all of the discussions and agreed with the plan.

Moreover Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio, the house station is house to NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada; Russian Anna Kikina; and Japan’s Koichi Wakata. The 4 rode up on a SpaceX capsule final October.