Five astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) briefly took shelter inside a docked SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Friday while Russian engineers carried out repairs on a leaking service module.
The precautionary move followed the discovery of new leaks in the Russian module, according to NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens.
Roscosmos launched what Stevens described in a post on X as an “extensive repair operation.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway,” Stevens wrote.
“We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution.”
Shelter order later lifted
About an hour later, Stevens said Roscosmos had suspended the repair work to gather additional measurements and data.
“Given this development, NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station,” she wrote in a second post.
Leaks have been an ongoing issue
The Russian service module has experienced leaks for some time.
Stevens said the cracks “have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely.”
SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ten people currently aboard the ISS
There are currently 10 crew members on the station.
Those aboard include:
- Four astronauts who arrived in February on the long-duration SpaceX Crew-12 mission:
- Two NASA astronauts
- One European Space Agency astronaut
- One Russian cosmonaut
- Three crew members who reached the station in November aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft:
- One NASA astronaut
- Two Russian cosmonauts
Future of the station under review
The latest incident comes as NASA weighs the future of the aging orbiting laboratory.
Under Administrator Jared Isaacman, the agency is seeking to transition from the ISS to commercially developed space stations later this decade.
TL;DR:
NASA temporarily directed five astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter inside a docked SpaceX Dragon spacecraft while Roscosmos repaired leaks in a Russian service module. The order was lifted about an hour later after repairs were paused.
AI summary:
- Five astronauts briefly sheltered inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Friday.
- Roscosmos was repairing newly discovered leaks in a Russian service module.
- The repair effort was later paused for additional measurements.
- NASA ended the precautionary shelter procedures about an hour later.
- The ISS faces an uncertain future as NASA plans commercial replacements.
