Russia delays next manned space flight to ISS (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Russia has delayed the launch of its next manned mission to the International Space Station (ISS), after an unmanned cargo vessel crashed following its launch last week.

The return of the three crew members from the space station will also be delayed, officials told Russian media.

The launch had been scheduled for 22 September. Officials now say it will happen in late October at the earliest.

The move comes days after Russia grounded its fleet of Soyuz rockets.

Investigators have said they want to determine the cause of last week's crash before launching further flights.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14708107

[bananas]

1. It may be unmanned in November

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/station/exp28/110827unmannedops/

Space station could be abandoned in November
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: August 27, 2011

HOUSTON -- Astronauts may need to temporarily withdraw from the International Space Station before the end of this year if Russia is unable to resume manned flights of its Soyuz rocket after a failed cargo launch last week, according to the NASA official in charge of the outpost.

Despite a delivery of important logistics by the final space shuttle mission in July, safety concerns with landing Soyuz capsules in the middle of winter could force the space station to fly unmanned beginning in November, according to Michael Suffredini, NASA's space station program manager.

<snip>

The crew's Soyuz TMA-21 capsule can stay docked to the space station for up to 210 days. Its design life expires in late October, and Suffredini said he expects no problems continuing their mission until then.

The other half of the station's six-person crew -- NASA flight engineer Michael Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa -- are supposed to return home Nov. 16.

<snip>

That crew's Soyuz capsule, named Soyuz TMA-02M, blasted off June 7 and would need to land in late December or early January.

<snip>