NASA has advised five astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take refuge in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. This precaution comes as Russian space agency Roscosmos works to address newly discovered leaks in its service module.
According to NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens, the leaks prompted Roscosmos to initiate an extensive repair operation. In her post on X, she emphasized that the astronauts are to maintain an elevated safety posture in the Crew Dragon while repairs are conducted.
Stevens noted that the leaks in the Russian module have been a longstanding concern, closely monitored by NASA. The exact duration of the sheltering period for the astronauts remains uncertain as both NASA and SpaceX have not provided immediate comments.
Currently, there are ten individuals aboard the ISS. Four of them, including two NASA astronauts, one from the European Space Agency, and one Russian cosmonaut, arrived in February as part of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission. The remaining three astronauts, which include one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts, joined the station last November via a Russian Soyuz mission.
This repair operation and the shelter directive occur amidst discussions regarding the future of the ISS. Under new leadership from Jared Isaacman, NASA is exploring options to replace the aging space station with commercially produced modules in the coming years.
