NASA Orders ISS Astronauts to Prepare for Possible Evacuation as Air Leak Worsens
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered to shelter in their docked spacecraft and prepare for a possible evacuation after a worsening air leak was detected in the station’s Russian segment, according to NASA and multiple news reports.
The precautionary order affects the Crew-12 astronauts currently living aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA directed the crew to enter their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and wear spacesuits while Russian cosmonauts worked to address the leak inside the Zvezda service module. Officials emphasized that the move was a safety precaution and not an active evacuation order.
The leak has become one of the most persistent maintenance concerns facing the ISS. Air-loss issues in the Russian segment have been tracked since 2019, prompting multiple repair efforts and ongoing monitoring by NASA and Roscosmos. Earlier repair attempts appeared to improve conditions, but recent measurements suggested the situation had deteriorated again.
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The incident has renewed attention on the aging space station, which has been continuously occupied since 2000 and is expected to remain operational through the end of the decade. NASA has previously classified leak-related risks in the affected section among the station’s most serious maintenance concerns.
Online reaction from spaceflight communities focused largely on crew safety and the long-running debate over whether the station’s oldest modules can continue operating safely through its planned retirement timeline. Discussions also highlighted the repeated appearance of leak-related issues in the Russian segment over the past several years.
Repair work remains ongoing, and NASA has not indicated that an evacuation is currently required.
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