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Replacement craft for leaking Soyuz to launch on Thursday

The spacecraft will replace another that had sprung a leak and was venting coolant into space

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February 21, 2023 at 7:25 p.m. EST
Leaking coolant from a damaged Soyuz spacecraft at the International Space Station. (Roscosmos/via REUTERS)
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Russia plans to launch a replacement spacecraft to the International Space Station on Thursday, with arrival expected Saturday, NASA officials confirmed Tuesday.

The Soyuz spacecraft will replace one that was damaged in December and was leaking coolant while it was docked at the space station. Russian officials later determined that the spacecraft was not safe to transport its crew of two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut home.