The Russian cargo ship sinking delays the return to Earth of three … – TF1

They took the news “with understanding. Three members of the crew of the International Space Station, expected to return to Earth on Thursday are forced to stay in orbit for another month due to loss of the Progress spacecraft announced Tuesday an official of the Russian space industry. Their return to Earth was postponed to early June, said the Flight Director of the Russian segment of the ISS Vladimir Soloviev. He This is according to the NASA site , shipping 43, composed of Russian Anton Chkaplerov, the American Terry Virts and Samantha Italian Cristoforetti.

According to Vladimir Solovyov, their return would have been “inappropriate” only a week after the accident cargo spacecraft Progress, which disintegrated on May 8 in the atmosphere after the loss of control by Russian operators shortly after takeoff. “Cosmonauts and agreed to stay still work a month in orbit”, said the Russian official was quoted by the Interfax news agency. The new team of the ISS, originally scheduled to take off on May 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, will join the station at the end of July, after a new test launch of a Progress supply ship to the ISS.

The next flights should not be affected

“We try to maintain unchanged the Following the program for the year, “he continued, adding that the flight schedule for September had not been changed. Russia is taking off every year three to four cargo ships laden with supplies for the International Space Station. The loss of the Progress M-27M, which cost almost half a billion euros, is a blow to the Russian space sector, a strategic area already in the sights of power for stinging setbacks. A commission of inquiry was mandated to establish the circumstances of the incident, which will give its findings on May 22

Russia supplies the main module to the station, where the rocket engines are located, and the Russian Soyuz vessels are, since the cessation of US space shuttles, the only way to route and repatriate crew of the ISS. Sixteen countries participate in the ISS outpost and space laboratory into orbit in 1998 that claimed a total of one hundred billion dollars, including Russia and the US, which finance most. Besides Russia, Europe has not committed to funding the ISS after 2020.