3 astronauts delayed on space station to return in September

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s space agency says three astronauts who were supposed to leave the International Space Station this month will be brought back to Earth in late September. The return of Russians Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, and NASA’s Frank Rubio was delayed after the Soyuz capsule they planned to ride in developed a coolant leak. An empty Soyuz was sent to the station to serve as a rescue capsule, delaying the launch of a replacement crew. The Roscosmos space agency said Friday that three replacement astronauts will head for the space station on Sept. 15, and Prokopyev, Petelin and Rubio will return on Sept. 27, doubling their time aboard the station to more than a year.