Rescuers Evacuate ISS Crew From Soyuz MS-15 Descent Module After Its Landing In Kazakhstan

Umer Jamshaid Published April 17, 2020 | 01:11 PM

Rescuers have evacuated Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir from the descent module of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft after their return from the International Space Station (ISS) and landing in a prairie in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2020) Rescuers have evacuated Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir from the descent module of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft after their return from the International Space Station (ISS) and landing in a prairie in Kazakhstan.

Their return was broadcast on the website of Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos.

The crew said goodbye to astronauts remaining at the ISS and closed the hatches at 1.43 a.m. Moscow time (22:43 GMT Thursday). At 4:53 a.m. Moscow time, the ship undocked from the ISS, and the propulsion system started deboosting at 7:22 a.m. Moscow time. The ship started its descent from orbit and was soon split into compartments, after which the main parachute opened. The crew landed at 08:16 a.m. Moscow time.

Taking into consideration the COVID-19 outbreak, evacuation is being conducted through a fast-track procedure.

After the evacuation, the crew will be taken to Baikonur spaceport on helicopters, where medical experts will examine their health, although this is usually done in a special facility.

Search and rescue specialists who carry out the evacuation of astronauts are wearing masks and rubber gloves as part of preventive measures against COVID-19. The area where Skripochka, Morgan and Meir descended from the capsule has been closed off.

In the light of the pandemic, the route of their return home has also been changed. Previously they were transferred by helicopters to Zhezqazghan or Karagandy, from where they flew to their home countries. However, now the first stop will be the nearest airfield at Baikonur spaceport. Skripochka will depart from there later in the day to Chkalovsky military airfield in the Moscow region, while Morgan and Meir will travel by land to Kyzylorda, from where they will depart to the United States.