05.06.2026 23:50
NASA has gone on alert after a sudden worsening of an air leak in the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Activating safety zone procedures, Houston instructed the four astronauts and one cosmonaut on the station to put on their spacesuits and move to the Crew Dragon spacecraft for evacuation, while Roscosmos announced that the first of the identified leak points has been sealed.
A panic over an air leak occurred at the International Space Station (ISS). The air leak, which occurred in the Russian section of the station, was reported to be worsening.
EVACUATION INSTRUCTION FOR 4 ASTRONAUTS AND 1 COSMONAUT
NASA instructed 4 astronauts and 1 cosmonaut to move to the Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station, don their space suits in case of an emergency evacuation, and prepare for a possible evacuation due to the worsening air leak.
SAFE ZONE PROCEDURES ACTIVATED
An unnamed senior NASA official said that the air leak, which had been at relatively small levels in recent months, increased today. According to the NASA official, cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, who are not involved in the evacuation procedures, are attempting to cut open a specific compartment with a saw to reach the crack they believe is causing the air leak. The official stated that NASA objected to this method, and therefore the mission control center in Houston activated safe zone procedures.
STATEMENT FROM ROSCOSMOS
A statement on the matter was also made by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). In the statement from Roscosmos, it was noted that Russian cosmonauts are inspecting the connecting part of the Zvezda module that provides passage to other sections. The statement indicated that during the inspection, potential air leaks were identified at two points, and the first point was sealed with sealing material "Germetall-1". It was also stated that preparations to seal the second point are ongoing.
NEVER EVACUATED
NASA and Roscosmos, the two main operators of the ISS, which serves as a laboratory where astronauts live and work in space, had been exchanging views for months on the cause of and how to fix small air leaks in the Zvezda service module, one of the station's critical sections. In the ISS's 27-year history, the station has never been evacuated.
7 ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD
There are currently 7 astronauts on the station as part of two different missions. The Crew-12 team, which arrived at the station in February, includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The other team, which arrived in November, consists of American astronaut Christopher Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev.
The "safe zone" application at the International Space Station is also rarely used. In recent years, space debris posing a collision risk to the station and changes in air leak rates have led to the implementation of this procedure.
Source: İHA / AA