![A coolant leak on the Nauka module, left, was seen coming from an external radiator, center of image, according Roscosmos. Credit: NASA](https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NaukaRadiator.jpg)
A coolant leak on the Nauka module, left, was seen coming from an external radiator, center of image, according Roscosmos. Credit: NASA
Coolant appears to have leaked from an external radiator on Russia’s Nauka science module on the International Space Station.
At about 1 p.m. EDT (17:00 UTC) Oct. 9, NASA’s mission control in Houston alerted the ISS crew to the situation and asked for visual confirmation and a degree of origin.
“We’re seeing flakes outside. We’d like a crew [member] to go to the cupola, look toward the aft side — we expect windows 5 or 6 — and make sure any visual flakes,” mission control asked NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, one in every of seven people aboard the outpost as a part of Expedition 70.
“There’s a leak coming from the radiator on the MLM.” Moghbeli said, referring to the Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module Nauka.
Flakes might be seen via external cameras coming from the final area of the Nauka module, nevertheless the precise location of the leak was difficult to pinpoint. Station Commander and European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen said he took photos to be sent to the bottom for evaluation.
NASA has yet to officially comment on the incident as of publication. Nonetheless, Roscosmos, via its Telegram social media account, confirmed the leak was from the external backup radiator, which was delivered greater than a decade ago and installed on Nauka earlier this 12 months.
Roscosmos said there is no such thing as a threat to the crew or the station because it continues to investigate the situation. It will not be yet known what caused the leak.
Nauka was launched in July of 2021, well greater than a decade later than originally planned. While on its option to the ISS, it had propulsion issues almost immediately. Furthermore, shortly after docking, a programming error caused the module’s thrusters to fireplace to depletion, causing your complete football field-sized complex to spin 1.5 times before the outpost was brought under control.
This can be the third coolant leak on Russian space hardware on the ISS in lower than a 12 months. In December 2022 and February 2023, the external radiators of Soyuz MS-22 and Progress MS-21, respectively, were reported to have been struck by micrometeoroid debris, causing the entire coolant to leak into the vacuum of space.
The incident on Soyuz MS-22 prompted Roscosmos to send a alternative Soyuz to the outpost in February 2023 for Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, requiring that trio to stay on the ISS for a further six months. They landed safely in Soyuz MS-23 in September after spending greater than a 12 months aboard the outpost.
Further updates on the situation shall be provided as more information becomes available.
![The external radiator was launched with Rassvet, left, in 2010. During a series of spacewalks in 2023, the radiator was installed onto Nauka. Credit: NASA](https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/52832404149_e024722963_k.jpg)
The external radiator was launched with Rassvet, left, in 2010. During a series of spacewalks in 2023, the radiator was installed onto Nauka. Credit: NASA