NASA orders – NASA directed all three U.S. astronauts and a French astronaut aboard the International Space Station to shelter in the SpaceX Dragon capsule while Russian cosmonauts make extensive repairs to an air leak area in the Russian Zvezda service module, citing an “a
When the repair work started inside a key Russian section of the International Space Station, NASA moved quickly—sending astronauts to shelter in a docked SpaceX capsule rather than staying where air leaks had been found.
On Friday. June 5. NASA directed all three Americans and one French astronaut aboard the orbiting laboratory to “assume an elevated safety posture” by taking shelter in the SpaceX Dragon crew capsule docked to the ISS. NASA said the step was taken “out of an abundance of caution” as repairs are made to air leaks on the Russian segment.
The Russian section, the Zvezda service module, has long been the area hardest hit with the leaks. While piecemeal patching efforts have been attempted, NASA said work is ongoing with Russian counterparts and the wider international community to reach a more lasting fix.
Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokeswoman, said in a post on social media site X that Russian cosmonauts aboard the station were making “extensive” repairs to the transfer tunnel of the Zvezda service module. No additional details were immediately available.
The order affects who is currently on station. Seven astronauts are living and working aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 74. Four of them are from the Crew-12 mission that docked in mid-February: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway. the European Space Agency’s Sophie Adenot. and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The Crew-12 group is due to depart in September, following the arrival of Crew-13.
Other Expedition 74 members also remain in place while replacements are planned. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov arrived at the end of November on a Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft. and they are expected to stay until their replacements arrive in July.
The situation is unfolding on a station that has been in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically about 260 miles high. Over its lifespan, it has served as a microgravity research test bed, and it has also opened its doors in recent years to private commercial missions.
The ISS is run through a global partnership of space agencies. including NASA. Roscosmos. the European Space Agency. the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. and the Canadian Space Agency. NASA has also said that more than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the ISS, including 170 from the United States alone.
What happens next depends on how the current repairs hold. NASA said it continues working with Russian counterparts and the rest of the international community that supports the station to arrive at a more permanent resolution. For now. the message to the crew is clear: while the repairs are being made. the Americans on board and their French crewmate will stay sheltered in the SpaceX Dragon capsule as a precaution.
NASA ISS International Space Station air leak Zvezda service module SpaceX Dragon Expedition 74 Crew-12 Crew-13 Bethany Stevens Russian cosmonauts low-Earth orbit