The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, which will fly to the ISS on February 24, will stay in orbit for 215 days. Thus, the total duration of work at the station of the crew that he will pick up will be at least 370 days. The corporation noted that this is a new record for the ISS, writes RIA Novosti.
Earlier, the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft was launched on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Baikonur on September 21 last year. Then it was planned to conduct an expedition to the ISS in 188 days, to complete it at the end of March 2023.
But after the depressurization of the ship’s thermal control system on December 15, 2022, it was decided that it was dangerous for the crew to return on it. For these purposes, an unmanned flight of the next Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft was prepared, the crew of the faulty ship will return on it: cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin and astronaut Frank Rubio .
By that day, Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio will have spent 370 days in space, perhaps their mission may last even 371 days.
Earlier, the NTS of Roscosmos approved the extension of the life of the Russian segment of the ISS until 2028.
It was also reported that Roskosmos reported damage to the Progress MS-21 space truck. The truck’s thermal management system stopped working after being damaged by an external impact.
The depressurization of the truck was discovered on February 11. Because of this, the launch of the unmanned Soyuz MS-23 from Earth was postponed. He was supposed to return the ISS crew to Earth on February 20.
