NASA Reportedly In Talks With SpaceX In Preparation For Possible ISS Crew Rescue – SlashGear

Now that we know that the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft is malfunctioning, both NASA and Roscosmos are left looking for answers. The agencies still have around three months before the ISS crew is due to return, but that’s not a lot of time when you have to arrange a trip to space and back. As reported by Reuters, Roscosmos is considering the possibility of sending a different Soyuz rocket to retrieve U.S. astronaut Frank Rubio and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin. Meanwhile, NASA is searching for another backup plan in the event that the first backup option fails.

NASA spokeswoman Sandra Jones spoke to Reuters about the possible cooperation with SpaceX, saying: “We have asked SpaceX a few questions on their capability to return additional crew members on Dragon if necessary, but that is not our prime focus at this time.” SpaceX had nothing more to say on the matter.

This wouldn’t be the first instance of SpaceX and NASA cooperating. The Dragon capsule comes in handy, because aside from the Russian Soyuz, Dragon is the only spacecraft capable of shuttling humans to and from the ISS. If the Soyuz fails, let’s hope that SpaceX can come to the rescue.