In 30 minutes, #ProgressMS20 will be undocked from the ISS. Here’s the live coverage: https://www.youtube.com/live/h9OiV7Fej3s

#SoyuzMS23 is being fueled on Baikonur. After that, it will be brought to the assembly and test building for pre-launch tests. The launch is scheduled for February 20, it will fly in an automatic mode to become the rescue ship for the crew of the damaged Soyuz MS-22.

Soyuz 2.1a with #ProgressMS22 cargo ship is ready for launch on Pad 31 of Baikonur cosmodrome. The launch is scheduled for 06:15 UTC. Here is the technical coverage (without speakers): https://www.youtube.com/live/B1l8Z17gwKk

#ProgressMS22 will fly to the ISS by the classic 2-days rendezvous profile. On February 11, at 08:47 UTC it will dock to the Zvezda docking port, which has been left two days ago by Progress MS-20. If the docking is successful, Progress MS-21, another Russian cargo ship currently docked to the ISS, will undock from the Poisk module to clear the room for the automatic docking of Soyuz MS-23. This is why the successful launch and docking of #ProgressMS22 is so important: if something goes not by the plan, the whole “space Tetris” will be at risk.

#SoyuzMS23 has been assembled with the interstage of the third stage of Soyuz rocket. It will fly in an autonomous mode, so Roscosmos will use the opportunity do deliver so additional cargo with it. There will be 429 kg of equipment and experiments.

You won’t believe me, but according to Vladimir Degtyar, the general director of Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau, the company will begin research on the creation of SSTO launch vehicle #Corona this year. The development of Corona began in 1992, but in 2012 was stopped due to the lack of funding. In 2016, they planned to resume it, but the work was stopped again. I don’t know what they hope for nowadays. I’m also not sure how far they've come in 10 years of development, but now they're planning to do engineering research that isn't even a design project. According to Degtyar, the #Corona will have an extremely low cost of putting the payload into orbit, due to the reusability of about 100 times. The launch mass will be 302-315 tons, height - 42.15 m, length - 38.07 m. Payload to LEO from Vostochny cosmodrome) 5.5 tons. The picture above is from the presentation from 2016 (I haven’t found good copies of the new one). The numbers are a little bit different, but the design should be similar.

Are you ready to watch the docking of #ProgressMS22 in 40 minutes? Here's the Roscosmos live coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pj2AFJ7QMg NASA will stream it as well.

Aaaaand... the second round! Rumors say, a leak appeared in the #ProgressMS21 which should be deorbited on February 18. The situation, according to the former head of Roscosmos PR service Dmitry Strugovets, is quite similar to the accident with Soyuz MS-22.

1. There is a leak in the external radiator cooling loop of #ProgressMS21.
2. The hatch to the ship has been immediately closed.
3. The crew is in no danger.
4. RSC Energia calls a meeting to decide what to do next.
5. The launch of Soyuz MS-23 will be postponed.

And now there is a reason to believe that the cause of the #SoyuzMS22 accident was not a micrometeorite.

Official statement of Roscosmos: https://t.me/roscosmos_gk/8419

All the conversions with the ISS are now being held on the private channels, to prevent the speculations.

So, it is the cooling system.