ISS Astronauts Take Shelter in Dragon Capsule During Russian Segment Air Leak Repair

On the morning of June 5, 2026, NASA mission control ordered NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, French ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, and NASA astronaut Chris Williams into the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom capsule as a precautionary safe-haven measure while cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev worked on a persistent air leak in the PrK transfer tunnel of Russia's Zvezda service module. The leak, first identified in 2019 and attributed to microscopic cracks in the tunnel structure, had escalated during cargo operations involving the Progress 95 spacecraft, with the leak rate roughly doubling to about two pounds of air per day and new suspected leak sites identified. Roscosmos had planned a more extensive repair that included cutting a bracket to improve access to a suspected leak area, a procedure NASA assessed as carrying elevated structural risk. After approximately 90 minutes, Roscosmos chose to pause the structural repair in favor of additional measurements and data review; NASA strongly supported the decision, and the crew exited the Dragon and resumed normal station activities. Roscosmos reported that one of two identified leak sites was sealed with Germetall-1 two-component sealant, while the second site on the conical section of the transfer chamber remains unaddressed. Both agencies stated that crew safety was not at immediate risk and that station pressure remained stable, though experts noted that the possibility of a small crack suddenly enlarging represents a low-probability but potentially catastrophic scenario. The incident underscores broader concerns about the aging ISS, which has been in orbit for more than 25 years beyond its original design parameters, and highlights unresolved disagreements between NASA and Roscosmos over repair strategy and acceptable leak thresholds, with the station currently planned for deorbit by 2030.