Despite the immense tensions between the US and Russia, two Americans, a Russian and an Emirati left together for the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday.
The four astronauts embarked aboard a “Crew Dragon” owned by Elon Musk’s private aerospace company SpaceX from the Cape Canaveral cosmodrome in Florida, according to live images from the US space agency NASA.
Start delayed several times
This is the repeated time since the beginning of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine about a year ago and the resulting immense tensions between the US and Russia, astronauts from both countries flew into space together. The start was actually scheduled for Monday, but had to be canceled and postponed at short notice due to problems with the ignition system.
Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, Andrei Fedyaev and Sultan Al-Niyadi are expected to remain aboard the ISS for about six months. Hoburg, Fedjajew and Al-Nijadi fly into space for the first time, for Bowen it is the fourth space flight.
On board the ISS, they meet their colleagues Sergei Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, Koichi Wakata and Anna Kikina. “Crew-5” – Mann, Cassada, Wakata and Kikina – will fly back to Earth a few days after “Crew-6” arrives.
Leak in Soyuz capsule
The return of Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio was delayed because a leak was discovered in the Soyuz capsule that carried them to the ISS in September. According to experts, it was created by the impact of a micrometeorite.
That’s why a replacement spacecraft docked at the ISS this weekend, with which the three would likely return to Earth in September – instead of March, as originally planned.
Source: Krone
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