USU Graduate, NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Mission in Space Extended

NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is pictured inside the cupola, the International Space Station's "window to the world," as the orbiting lab flew 263 miles above southeastern England. (Photo credit: NASA/Frank Rubio)
By Sharon Holland


NASA astronaut Lt. Col. (Dr.) Frank Rubio's adventures on the International Space Station will be extended in space until the fall -- putting the Uniformed Services University graduate in possible contention for spending more than a year on the Space Station. 

Rubio was slated to return to Earth in early Spring, following a six-month stint on the Space Station. However, on Dec. 14, 2022, ground teams discovered a significant coolant leak in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to one of the modules on the Space Station.  Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin traveled into space on board the Soyuz MS-22.  

According to NASA, engineers deemed the Soyuz MS-22 not to be viable for a normal crew return, although they believe it could be used in the event of an emergency aboard the Space Station. Instead, it will be replaced by the unmanned Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft slated to go into space on Feb. 20, 2023.  Rubio and his colleagues will return to Earth in the replacement Soyuz after spending several additional months on the station, which per NASA, is estimated to be "fall 2023". The trio arrived at the Space Station on Sept. 21, 2022, after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

“NASA has been working with [the Russian Space Agency,] Roscosmos, throughout the investigation and will continue to work with its Commercial Crew Program and Canadian, Japanese, and European partners to refine upcoming flight dates over the next several weeks. NASA also continues its discussions with SpaceX regarding the possibility of using the Crew-5 spacecraft to return additional crew in the event of a station emergency prior to the arrival of Soyuz MS-23,” according to the U.S. space agency’s announcement. 

To follow Rubio's progress, visit NASA's YouTube channel or blog.nasa.gov.

Rubio- Spacewalk - Astronaut Frank Rubio is pictured during a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022, tethered to the space station’s starboard truss structure during an orbital sunset. (Photo credit: NASA)
Astronaut Frank Rubio is pictured during a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022, tethered to the space station’s starboard truss structure during an orbital sunset. (Photo credit: NASA)