Something’s smelly at the International Space Station following the arrival of a Russian cargo spacecraft on Saturday.
A “toxic” smell. The Russian Progress MS-29 spacecraft arrived at the ISS without incident. However, when Russian cosmonauts Aleksei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner opened the hatch, they were met with a strong odor and small droplets in the air. This prompted them to immediately close the hatch to the spacecraft.
According to Russian Space Web, Ovchinin and Vagner described the smell as “toxic.”
Protective measures. In response to the situation, the cosmonauts put on their protective gear and activated special systems to purify the air in the Russian segment of the space station.
Simultaneously, NASA activated purification and pollutant control systems in the U.S. segment of the station.
The odor was also detected in the U.S. segment. NASA astronaut Don Pettit reported smelling it from Node 3. Pettit described the odor as similar to spray paint, but NASA hasn’t confirmed whether it’s related to the Progress MS-29 spacecraft.
An ongoing investigation. Russian space agency Roscosmos is working to identify the source of the odor and small droplets observed when opening the hatch of the Progress MS-29 spacecraft.
Procedures are currently in place to safely open the hatch between the Poisk module and the Progress spacecraft, ensuring that there’s no risk to the crew.
A growing history of incidents. This isn’t the first technical issue involving Russian spacecraft on the ISS. In February 2023, a Progress spacecraft experienced a loss of pressurization in its cooling system while docked to the space station.
Additional concerns include air leaks detected in the Zvezda module and multiple leak-related incidents on the Soyuz spacecraft. One incident was initially attributed to sabotage but was later found to be caused by a micrometeoroid.
Meanwhile, Russia plans to launch its own space station before the ISS is retired in 2030.
Image | NASA
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