Nasa orders ISS crew to shelter amid worsening air leak
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has instructed astronauts aboard the International Space Station to take shelter inside docked spacecraft after a worsening air leak in the Russian segment raised safety concerns. Five crew members were directed to enter the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Freedom” and prepare for a possible evacuation while engineers assessed the situation in orbit.
The shelter order affected members of the Crew-12 mission, including NASA astronauts, a European Space Agency astronaut from France, and a Roscosmos cosmonaut, along with another NASA astronaut already aboard the station since mid-2025. The crew donned pressure suits as a precaution while the situation in the Russian service module developed. Two Russian cosmonauts remained in the station’s affected segment to continue repair work using sealants and mechanical patches.
The leak originates from microfractures in the PrK transfer tunnel of the Zvezda service module, part of the Russian segment of the station. First detected in 2019, the issue has persisted for years despite repeated repair attempts. After a period of partial stabilization in 2025, the leak returned in May and has since intensified, with estimates indicating a daily air loss rising from about half a pound to roughly one pound.
Space agencies have disagreed on the level of risk. Internal assessments have classified the issue at the highest risk level for both likelihood and severity, while Russian officials have maintained that continued operations remain safe. The divergence has fueled long-standing uncertainty over the structural integrity of the module. NASA officials have previously warned that continued degradation could lead to a catastrophic failure scenario, while Roscosmos has rejected that assessment.
The incident highlights growing pressure on aging space infrastructure as the International Space Station continues operations beyond its original design lifespan. Engineers continue monitoring pressure levels while evaluating whether repairs in orbit can stabilize the damaged tunnel. The Crew Dragon spacecraft remains on standby as a contingency evacuation vehicle if conditions worsen further.
-
21:00
-
19:00
-
18:45
-
18:30
-
18:15
-
18:00
-
17:45
-
17:30
-
17:15
-
17:00
-
16:45
-
16:30
-
16:15
-
16:06
-
16:00
-
15:45
-
15:30
-
15:15
-
15:00
-
14:45
-
14:30
-
14:15
-
13:50
-
13:35
-
13:20
-
13:05
-
12:50
-
12:35
-
12:20
-
12:05
-
11:50
-
11:35
-
11:20
-
11:05
-
10:50
-
10:35
-
10:20
-
10:19
-
10:18
-
10:05
-
09:50
-
09:41
-
09:26
-
09:19
-
09:18
-
09:07
-
09:01
-
08:37
-
08:33
-
08:25
-
08:24
-
08:23
-
08:22
-
08:19
-
08:18
-
08:17
