David Saint-Jacques is waiting patiently for his launch at the space station after the setback of Soyuz

A recent incident aboard a Soyuz capsule en route to the International Space Station did nothing to alarm Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques about his own mission.

"It's a dangerous job." We expect there to be a risk. "We expect all launches to be not perfect," said Saint-Jacques to The Canadian Press in an interview in Ottawa.

"What matters is to believe that there is a way out, that there is an evacuation system that works well and that the search and rescue efforts are in market."

Saint-Jacques, 48, said these contingencies were visible on Oct. 11 when a flare of rocket forced a Soyuz capsule with two astronauts on board to abort and perform an emergency landing.

Russia has suspended all manned space launches pending an investigation whose results will give Saint-Jacques a better idea of ​​when its own launch will take place.

The Canadian was scheduled to visit the International Space Station on December 20 for a six-month mission – his first trip into space.

But the exact date is now uncertain and likely to change.

"Once their work is done, we will know if the launch will take place on time, later or maybe even in advance," said Saint-Jacques. "We do not know, we are preparing for each option (and) I will be ready whatever happens."

Barely

Santiago was part of the rescue team for space flight failed of 11 October and was on-site in Kazakhstan when his fellow astronauts aboard the craft – NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Alexei Ovchinin from Roscosmos – plunged 50 kilometers from Earth.

Parachutes were deployed and neither man was injured, but Hague told The Associated Press that it was the closest call to his career.

"The first thing that stuck in my head, is that my friends are fine?" Said St. Jacques, who was following the launch from the ground. "Nick and Alexei are they safe? We quickly realized that they were there."

Since then, he dined with the two men and described them as disappointed but in a good mood and ready to fly again.

Saint-Jacques said the key now is to determine the source of the problem and solve it.

It was the first aborted launch for the Russians in 35 years and their third ever. Like every time before, the rocket safety system kept the crew alive.

"We must be careful to maintain confidence in the Soyuz system, which we do," said Saint-Jacques.

At next launch

As for Saint-Jacques, he completed his training at NASA in Texas and was briefly in Canada this week before returning to Russia to complete his Soyuz training.

The current situation could hinder his planned medical researches when there is a reduced crew aboard the space station.

"The main impact ranging from a standard crew of six to a standard crew of three for a long time, we can not afford to do as many scientific experiments as we would like," he said. Saint-Jacques, adding that maintenance and repairs keeping the station on would be the priority.

Gilles Leclerc, director general of space exploration at the Canadian Space Agency, said in a recent interview that the agency should have a better idea of ​​when to travel to Santiago from here the end of the week.

One thing is certain: Saint-Jacques will fly with the next Soyuz, declared safe for the Space.

Leclerc noted that Saint-Jacques is a fully certified physician for robotics and outings in space. "The good news is that a Canadian could help maintain and save the space station," he said.

– with records of Peter Rakobowchuk and the Associated Press