Recently, Russian cosmonauts have often been making statements that the International Space Station (ISS) is getting old, that there may be accidents that can cause great damage, or that it may become unusable over time.
About a month ago, Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer at Energia, warned that the ISS was very worn and had some cracks. The mishap during the engine controls of the Russian spacecraft, which was launched into space for a movie called The Challenge on October 5, caused the space station to be damaged.
International Space Station severely damaged
It fired longer than calculated while the spacecraft was being maintained and checked on Friday. This unplanned prolonged firing caused damage to the International Space Station. NASA and Roscosmos crews lost control during engine testing. That’s why the engine test of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft took longer than it should have. After about half an hour, the teams intervened by regaining control. According to the statement made by Russia’s Roscosmos Space Agency, the personnel on the space station were safe when the incident took place.
According to cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, the engines on the docked Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft unexpectedly ignited and went out of control while being tested. Although it was brought under control with the intervention of the teams, the mishap caused the International Space Station to tilt.
The spacecraft, which was launched for the filming of The Challenge, is expected to return to Earth on Sunday.