ISS could go crewless after Soyuz launch failure
210 views · Published 17 October 2018 · 1:54 · Indexed 4 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(11 Oct 2018) NASA says it's dusting off its plans for flying the International Space Station without a crew after the aborted launch of a Russian rocket taking two astronauts toward the station. Kenny Todd, a space station manager, said from Houston several hours after Thursday's aborted launch that the station's three current residents can remain on board until January. That's just a month beyond their expected mid-December return. Their Soyuz capsule is good for about 200 days in orbit, period. If the rocket that failed remains grounded until it's time for the astronauts to come home, Todd says flight controllers could operate the orbiting lab without anyone on board. But he says the $100 billion asset would need to be staffed before SpaceX or Boeing launches new crew capsules next year. Todd says someone has to be on board for the arrival of the commercial demo missions, for safety reasons. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/46d3c53c141a5035a4cc555469f452df
