One U.S. astronaut hitchhiker may need a Russian guide to return to Earth.
Mark Vande Hei, who has been on the International Space Station since last April, is still expected to ride back on the Russian Soyuz capsule back to Earth on March 30 despite the country’s invasion of Ukraine, International Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano told Business Insider.
“The reality is Mark Vande Hei is coming home on March 30 with Anton and Pyotr, period,” Montalbano said Monday. “We have confirmation from our Russian colleagues.”
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Vande Hei will be joined by Russian astronauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, whose aircraft will land in Kazakhstan. The transportation and installation of the Soyuz-2, which will carry the astronauts, has begun, Russian Director-General Dmitry Rogozin tweeted on Tuesday.
Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Exp 66 Flight Engineer @Astro_Sabot answered social media questions on Mar. 10 and reflected on his record-breaking spaceflight. pic.twitter.com/nTBIKMAUkr
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) March 16, 2022
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Space station operations, which pool resources from countries from across the world in the name of space exploration, have been put into question as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. Rogozin warned in a series of tweets on Feb. 24 that U.S. sanctions could “destroy” the ISS.
On Tuesday, Vande Hei broke the U.S. record for the longest single spaceflight at 340 days.
