Seat of NASA Astronaut Moved From Souyz MS-22 Spacecraft to Crew Dragon

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The seat of US astronaut Frank Rubio was moved from the faulty Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft to a US Crew Dragon spacecraft to ensure his safe return to Earth in the event of an emergency, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Wednesday.

"Due to the technical condition of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, a lodgement of NASA astronaut Frank Rubio was dismantled from the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft and moved to the Crew Dragon spacecraft on January 18 to ensure safe return of the ISS crew [International Space Station] back to Earth in case of an accident before the arrival of Soyuz MS-23," the statement read.

Roscosmos noted that the seats of all three crew members, Rubio, Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, will be transferred to the Soyuz MS-23 in February to bring them back to Earth. Rubio's seat will be temporarily located in the Crew Dragon spacecraft in case of an emergency on the ISS.

On December 14, a leak from the Soyuz cooling system occurred due to damage to the outer skin of the ship's instrument and assembly compartment. The failure did not affect the living conditions of the crew, and there is no need for emergency evacuation, Roscosmos assured. To maintain a comfortable temperature in the living space of the Soyuz MS-22, cooled air is supplied from the Russian segment of the ISS.

The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft will be sent to the ISS uncrewed on February 20 and is expected to dock with the station on February 22. The Soyuz MS-22 will return to Earth without a crew.