Russia vetoes NASA's proposal not to use SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to pick up trapped astronauts from the International Space Station
January 11, there are recent reports that the United States and Russian space agencies may seek help from SpaceX to use its manned dragon spacecraft to rescue astronauts trapped on the International Space Station due to damage to the Soyuz spacecraft. However, the Russian space agency confirmed on Tuesday that it did not need SpaceX's help.
On December 15, 2022, Soyuz spacecraft MS-22 began to leak a large amount of coolant into space, which analysts believe may be caused by a miniature meteorite impact. This forced U.S. and Russian space agency officials to consider emergency rescue plans to bring two Russian astronauts and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (Frank Rubio) back to Earth.
Russia's refusal to accept SpaceX help highlights tensions between the United States and Russia in space, as NASA no longer relies solely on Russian spacecraft to launch astronauts to the International Space Station.
At the end of last year, NASA contacted SpaceX to ask if the company could take action in an emergency and use a manned dragon ship to help. But according to Russian media reports, the Russian space agency has rejected plans to allow the country's astronauts to return to the ground aboard a manned dragon spacecraft.
According to the unconfirmed plan, the MS-22 spacecraft will return to Earth unmanned, while the MS-23 spacecraft will be launched to the International Space Station in February with only one pilot on board, Oleg Kononenko, to make enough space for the two astronauts stranded in space.
According to the plan, Rubio will return by SpaceX spaceship. SpaceX's spacecraft can carry astronauts to the International Space Station in the United States, which makes the United States much less dependent on Russian spacecraft. After the space shuttle was retired in 2011, the United States could only use Russian spacecraft to send astronauts into space.
The final rescue plan has not yet been finalized. It is reported that Russian Space Agency Director Yuri Borissov (Yuri Borisov) will make a final decision later this week.
