Russia launches Soyuz spacecraft to rescue astronauts trapped in space


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Russia's Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft blasted off on a mission to rescue two cosmonauts and a Nasa astronaut stranded at the International Space Station after a leak in the cooling system of their capsule.

The unmanned craft lifted off from Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan and had been placed in orbit, Russian news agency Tass reported.

The Soyuz capsule was expected to dock with the ISS early on Sunday.

Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and US astronaut Francisco Rubio were left stranded in space after the cooling system of their Soyuz MS-22 capsule started leaking two months ago.

They had been due to end their mission in March.

The leak in December was reportedly caused by a tiny micrometeorite space rock that punctured an external radiator.

A similar impact is believed to have caused a leak on the cooling system of the Progress MS-21 cargo ship earlier this month.

The new empty Soyuz MS-23 capsule blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Friday. Roscosmos State Space Corporation/AP
The new empty Soyuz MS-23 capsule blasts off at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Friday. Roscosmos State Space Corporation/AP

The damaged Soyuz will return to Earth with no one aboard by the end of March, so engineers can examine it.

The three men launched in this Soyuz in September on what should have been a six-month mission.

They will now stay in space for a full year until a new capsule is ready for their crew replacements in September.

Tass said 430kg of cargo was sent aboard the replacement craft, including medical equipment, scientific instruments, water, food and cleaning supplies — three times the amount normally dispatched for such missions, according to a Russian space official.

The damaged supply ship was filled with rubbish and cut loose at the weekend, burning up in the atmosphere.

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

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Company%20Profile
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Key facilities
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950

Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

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Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

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What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: CVT

Power: 170bhp

Torque: 220Nm

Price: Dh98,900

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Updated: February 24, 2023, 4:34 AM`