A 17-meter Canadian-made robotic arm on the International Space Station will check the Soyuz spacecraft docked on the station, Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, said on Sunday, after a coolant leak was detected before a spacewalk last week.
After canceling the tour on Dec 15, Roscosmos said damage was caused to the outer structure of the instrument assembly compartment of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule, reports a local Arabic daily quoting Reuters.
Roscosmos added that cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petilin and Anna Kikina were having a day of rest at the space station and would watch the World Cup soccer final.
“Soyuz MS-22 will be examined with the cameras of the space station’s Remote Control System (SSRMS),” Roscosmos said in a statement. The results will be transmitted to Earth on Monday.” The SSRMS, known as the Canada Arm 2, is 17 meters long and performs maintenance, transporting supplies and connecting vehicles to the space station.
“The temperature in the MS-22 manned spacecraft has decreased due to the actions of specialists from the Mission Control Center near Moscow, and remains within the specified limits,” the statement said.
Preparations are underway for the Soyuz MS-23 launch from Baikonur in Kazakhstan, and Roscosmos said the launch could be accelerated if needed.