NASA issues evacuation alert for ISS crew as Zvezda module leak intensifies
The leak rate in the Russian service module has doubled, prompting mission control to direct the Crew-12 astronauts to their spacecraft while Russian crews attempt repairs.
NASA has issued an evacuation alert for four astronauts aboard the International Space Station, ordering them to shelter in their Crew Dragon spacecraft and don spacesuits on Friday following a deterioration in the station’s atmospheric integrity. The directive comes as a worsening air leak in the Russian Zvezda service module has escalated, raising fresh concerns over a long-running technical issue that has occupied mission control for months.
The order was issued at 09:04 am ET (1304 GMT) by NASA mission control, affecting the four astronauts of the Crew-12 mission. The crew comprises two US astronauts, one French astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut. They were instructed to enter the docked Crew Dragon capsule and assume an elevated safety posture should the leak warrant an emergency evacuation.
The severity of the situation increased on Monday when the leak rate doubled from one pound of air per day to two pounds. According to a senior NASA official who requested anonymity, the escalation prompted the immediate shelter-in-place measure. The International Space Station currently hosts ten people, including the four affected astronauts and NASA astronaut Chris Williams.
While the US astronauts remain in the Dragon capsule, the Russian crew is attempting repairs on the Zvezda module. The Zvezda service module is a key structure of the football field-sized orbital laboratory, operated primarily by NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos. The two agencies have debated the cause and potential fixes for the small air leaks aboard the Russian module for months, with minor leaks reported in recent months prior to this escalation.
It remains unclear how long the astronauts will need to remain in the spacecraft, and neither NASA nor SpaceX immediately provided a timeline for when the crew can return to normal operations. The exact cause of the leak has not been definitively identified, leaving the stability of the leak rate uncertain as both agencies continue to monitor the situation.
