Russian Cosmonauts Repair Worsened ISS Leak as NASA Crew Takes Temporary Shelter

NASA ordered five astronauts aboard the International Space Station to enter a docked spacecraft and prepare for possible evacuation on Friday morning after an air leak in the Russian segment increased. The astronauts donned spacesuits inside the craft while two Russian cosmonauts worked on the leak in the transfer tunnel known as PrK.

The tunnel connects the Zvezda Service Module with docked spacecraft.

Background on the leak The leak was first detected in September 2019 and has persisted despite multiple repair attempts. It recently worsened from one pound of air per day to two pounds after a Russian cargo ship arrived last month. NASA and Roscosmos have debated the cause and fixes for months. The agencies have used operational mitigation such as keeping the tunnel closed until needed.

m. ET out of an abundance of caution. The five astronauts entered the spacecraft while the Russian cosmonauts attempted repairs using a saw to access the crack. " — Bethany Stevens, NASA spokesperson, June 5 (BBC) NASA reversed the order two hours later after Roscosmos told its crew to pause repairs.

The astronauts returned to the station and resumed normal operations.

Crew and station details Seven astronauts are currently aboard as part of Expedition 74. Four arrived in February on the Crew-12 mission and three arrived in November 2025 on Soyuz MS-28. The station has operated continuously since 1998 and NASA plans to keep it in orbit until 2030.