According to a NASA post, the agency inquired about using a Dragon capsule to bring astronauts home from the International Space Station.
Just prior to a planned Russian spacewalk, the Soyuz craft suffered a significant leak in its cooling system. While there is no immediate danger to the space station or its crew, it is not known if the Soyuz craft is flightworthy and theMS-22 crew is no longer able to survive an emergency.
NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos are trying to find a replacement for Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, as well as NASA's Frank Rubio, who are currently aboard the International Space Station.
"As a part of the analysis, NASA reached out to SpaceX about its ability to return additional crew members aboard Dragon if needed in an emergency," the space agency wrote.
The International Space Station cannot be reached until February.
NASA's post confirms that the agency is considering using a SpaceX Dragon spaceship as a shelter for astronauts on the International Space Station. "We have asked SpaceX a few questions about their ability to return additional crew members on Dragon if necessary, but that is not our main focus at the moment," Jones said in a statement to the news agency.
There is a chance that a replacement craft will be sent. According to statements made by Sergei Krikalev during a NASA press conference, the earliest such mission could be launched is February. The next crew was supposed to fly in the middle of March, but Krikalev said a new one could be sent up a little earlier.
The cause of the leak is still being investigated by the agency. It is not known if the leak was caused by a meteorite or space debris.
The crew of the MS-22 is concerned about the safety of themselves and their families. Tommaso Sgobba, executive director of the International Association for the advancement of Space Safety, and a former head of spaceflight safety at the European Space Agency, told Space.com that the Soyuz is a huge risk. Sgobba said that this would be the first time in the space station's history that it didn't have a full lifeboat. If it is true, we have a problem on the space station. The crew escape system isn't working.
The crew of the MS-22 wore spacesuits that were custom-tailored for them, which could make it difficult to use a Dragon as a life raft.
There is a possibility that a Dragon capsule could be sent to the International Space Station.
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