ISS crew takes shelter during new repair effort for persistent Russian module leak

Five astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were temporarily directed to shelter inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on 5 June as Russian engineers attempted repairs to a long-running air leak in the station’s Russian segment.

NASA instructed the four members of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, along with NASA astronaut Chris Williams, to adopt an elevated safety posture while repair work was carried out on a transfer tunnel connected to the Russian-built Zvezda module. The precautionary measure would have enabled a rapid evacuation if the situation deteriorated.

The shelter order was lifted later the same day after Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, paused repair operations to analyse additional data and measurements. It remains unclear when repair work will resume.

The leak originates in a transfer chamber linking the Zvezda service module to a docking port. The problem was first detected in 2019 and has become one of the most persistent technical issues facing the ageing orbital outpost. According to Russian reports, two potential leak sites were recently identified, with one already sealed while work continues on the second.

Roscosmos said the situation does not pose an immediate threat to crew safety. However, NASA has previously classified the issue as a potential risk requiring close monitoring, particularly as the leak rate has fluctuated and at times worsened.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the long-term health of the ISS, which has been continuously occupied since 2000 and is now more than 25 years old. The leak has become a focal point in discussions about the station’s future, especially as Russia has committed to participation only through 2028, while NASA plans to operate the ISS until at least 2030.

The current strategy calls for commercial space stations to eventually replace the ISS, though questions remain about how smoothly that transition can occur as the orbiting laboratory continues to age.

Source: CNN