A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station prompted Nasa to briefly prepare astronauts for a possible evacuation on Friday. Five crew members were ordered into a docked spacecraft as a precaution before the alert was lifted. The incident highlights ongoing concerns over persistent air leaks in a Russian section of the orbital laboratory.
Nasa mission control instructed four members of the Crew-12 mission and another US astronaut to take shelter inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The order was issued after the rate of air leakage increased significantly aboard the station. However, the evacuation alert was withdrawn roughly two hours later after further assessments by Nasa and Russia’s space agency.
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The leak is believed to originate from Russia’s Zvezda service module, which has been the focus of technical discussions between Nasa and Roscosmos for months. Roscosmos said its specialists identified two leaks and quickly sealed one of them. Work was underway to address the second leak, while officials maintained there was no immediate danger to the crew.
According to a senior Nasa official, the air leak rate increased from about one pound of air per day to two pounds. The space station currently houses seven astronauts and cosmonauts from the United States, Russia, and Europe. Two Russian crew members were reportedly preparing a repair method that prompted concerns among Nasa officials, leading to the temporary safe-haven order.
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Nasa said astronauts were allowed to return to normal station operations after Roscosmos paused its repair efforts. Both agencies pledged to continue working together on a long-term solution to the leaks. Although safe-haven procedures have been used during previous emergencies, astronauts have never been forced to evacuate the International Space Station during its 27-year operational history.