ISS Astronauts Evacuate for Two Hours Due to Air Leak, Then Return

Air Leak Doubles in Volume
"First Leak Quickly Sealed"

A worsening air leak on the International Space Station (ISS) prompted astronauts to make an emergency evacuation.

International Space Station (ISS). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

On June 5 (local time), Bethany Stevens, spokesperson for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), announced that a crack resulting in an air leak was discovered in the connecting tunnel of the ISS's Russian service module, Zvezda. Emergency safety measures were taken in response. Stevens explained, "The air leak in this tunnel had been previously identified, but the situation intensified on this day." In recent months, the ISS had been experiencing an air leak of around 1 pound (approximately 450g) per day, but on this day, the amount doubled to about 2 pounds (approximately 900g), indicating a more serious breach.

Astronauts from the Russian space agency Roscosmos attempted to use a saw to access the cracked area, but NASA opposed this repair method. Instead, as a precaution, NASA ordered the astronauts to evacuate to Crew Dragon 12, which was docked at the station. Crew Dragon 12 is a spacecraft launched by SpaceX in February under NASA's supervision. On board were two NASA astronauts from the United States, one astronaut from France, and one from Russia.

As a result, four astronauts of U.S. and French nationality along with a Russian astronaut who was staying on the ISS for a NASA mission—five in total—evacuated. The two Russian astronauts who had planned the saw repair remained at the scene.

However, as the Russian side decided to halt the repair work for more precise data analysis, NASA lifted the evacuation order after about two hours. The astronauts then returned to the ISS.

Roscosmos reported that two leaks were detected in the ISS: the first was quickly sealed, and preparations are underway to address the second. Stevens stated, "We look forward to cooperating with Roscosmos to resolve the leak issue."

This is not the first time an emergency evacuation order has been issued on the ISS. In the past, such orders have been given due to risks of collision with space debris fragments or subtle changes in the rate of air leakage. While there have been no emergency escapes in the 24 years of ISS operation, in January of this year, a team of four astronauts aboard Crew Dragon 11 returned a month earlier than scheduled due to a health warning from one of the crew members.

Currently, there are seven astronauts on the ISS: four who arrived aboard Crew Dragon 12 and three who arrived on Soyuz MS-30, launched under the supervision of Russian Roscosmos. Additionally, three astronauts are aboard China's space station Tianhe, making a total of ten in space.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.