Meteor strike leaves astronaut and cosmonauts facing an entire YEAR stuck in space

Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, and NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio risk spending a year in space after a tiny meteor would have damaged their return trip The trio will have to spend a year in space (

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A pair of Russian cosmonauts and a Nasa astronaut risk spending a year in space after a micrometeorite sparked fears for their safe return.

Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and astronaut Francisco Rubio rocketed to the International Space Station last September for a six-month mission, 248 miles above planet Earth.

However, it is feared that a micrometeoroid - a tiny speck of dust traveling through space - may have damaged their vehicle, causing a leak in the Soyuz MS-22.

As a result, they will walk on solid ground in September, according to Russian space agency Roscosmos.

He said in a statement on his Telegram page: "Space missions always carry a tremendous risk of life-threatening emergencies for astronauts.

The trio arrived aboard the International Space Station last September (

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"Micrometeoroid impacts on a spacecraft or orbital station have happened before, but unlike the Soyuz MS-22, they have never had such severe consequences."

The MS-23 will remain tethered to the ISS until the crew returns home, as the likelihood of a repeat strike is considered minimal.

There are currently seven people aboard the ISS, with the remaining four crew members scheduled to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule.

Dina Contella, NASA's ISS Operations Integration Manager, said: "The plan is for Frank, Dimitri, and Sergey to stay on board for several months until they return home, probably [in] end of September."