The accident occurred at 1:55 GMT, before the scheduled space walk. This is another problem that indicates that the Russian station unit is not the safest place for human habitation.
“The smoke detector in the animal service unit of the Russian International Space Station sector was triggered during automatic charging of the battery, which triggered the fire alarm,” Roscosmos said in a statement.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said the “smell of burning plastic or electronics” spread all the way to the strip of the American station. A special filter was activated and everything returned to normal after cleaning the air. The planned space walk will take place as planned.
According to Roscosmos information, “all systems are operating normally.” The Russian ISS unit has run into several problems recently, with some officials saying outdated software could lead to “irreversible failures”.
The Zwiezda service unit, which belongs to the Russian part of the station, was subjected to several air leaks, including in 2019 and a few months ago. Due to fears of obsolescence, Russia plans to leave the International Space Station after 2025.
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