On Friday, a new crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) with the mission of replacing three astronauts who found themselves on an unexpected year-long stay after their spacecraft suffered severe damage. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will be departing from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:44 pm UAE time aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft.
They are set to relieve US astronaut Frank Rubio, and Russia’s Dmitry Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev, who are slated to return to Earth on September 27. The Soyuz MS-24 crew will follow a rapid trajectory, taking only two orbits and three hours to dock with the station’s Rassvet module at 2:56 pm (10:56 am GST). Shortly afterward, the hatches between the station and the Soyuz will open, and the new crew will be welcomed aboard.
The unusual year-long stay by the previous crew resulted from the catastrophic damage to their Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft three months after docking, likely caused by a meteor strike leading to a coolant leak. Returning in the damaged craft was too hazardous, so NASA and Russian authorities decided to extend their mission by six months. A rescue craft, the Soyuz MS-23, arrived at the station in February, carrying 430kg of supplies and will transport the astronauts back to Earth.
This extended mission saw Frank Rubio set a new US record for the longest spaceflight by an astronaut, totaling 371 days in space, surpassing NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei’s previous record of 355 days. During a live call, NASA administrator Bill Nelson expressed gratitude to Rubio for his service. Rubio remarked on the unexpected challenges and blessings of his extended stay.
His colleagues on the ISS commended his leadership and sacrifice, as he spent an extended period away from his family. The extended stay also means that Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev will set a new record for the longest spaceflight by Russian cosmonauts aboard the ISS, surpassing their colleagues Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov’s previous record of 355 days. The world record for the longest single stay in space is held by Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, who spent 437 days on the Mir space station before his passing.
The incoming crew comprises Loral O’Hara’s and Nikolai Chub’s maiden spaceflight and Oleg Kononenko’s fifth mission. The Russian cosmonauts will be on the ISS for a year and will return on the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft in September 2024, while Loral O’Hara will remain for six months. O’Hara expressed excitement about her upcoming mission during a briefing on August 23, where she also mentioned a video chat with Frank Rubio, who eagerly awaits her arrival to begin his journey home from the space station.
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