ISS astronauts briefly ordered to shelter amid worsening air leak

Five astronauts aboard the International Space Station were briefly ordered to shelter in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and don protective suits as a precaution against a worsening air leak. The order, issued by NASA on June 5, came as Russian crew members worked to address the leak in their segment of the orbiting laboratory.

The astronauts, part of the Crew-12 mission, were initially instructed to move into the docked Crew Dragon. However, about two hours later, NASA canceled the directive, allowing them to return to the station. The space agencies of Russia and the United States, Roscosmos and NASA, have been discussing the air leaks in the Zvezda service module for months, debating the cause and solutions.

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The astronauts were also instructed to wear their flight suits in case the leak worsened and required an immediate evacuation.

On June 5, the leak rate reportedly doubled, increasing from approximately 0.45 kilograms of air per day to 0.9 kilograms. This escalation prompted the rare safety measure. The ISS currently hosts seven astronauts from two missions. The Crew-12 mission includes astronauts from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos. Another group arrived in November.

Two Russian cosmonauts reportedly used a saw to access the area suspected of the leak, a method NASA did not endorse, leading to the safety order from Mission Control in Houston. While safety shelters have been activated in the past due to space debris or leak fluctuations, an actual evacuation from the ISS has never occurred in its 27-year operational history.

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The leak rate has been relatively low in the past but doubled on June 5, from about 0.45kg of air per day to 0.9kg.