NASA astronauts take shelter after new leaks found in Russian part of International Space Station
NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are sheltering in the Dragon spacecraft on Friday after a new leak was found aboard the Russian part of the station, a NASA spokesperson said.
What is the International Space Station?
The International Space Station (ISS) has hosted astronauts living and working in space for more than two decades, making groundbreaking contributions to technology and medicine along the way.
NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are sheltering in the Dragon spacecraft Friday after new leaks were found aboard the Russian part of the station, a NASA spokesperson said.
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The Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos as much as possible to date. The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely. NASA and Roscosmos have been working…
— Bethany Stevens (@NASASpox) June 5, 2026
The new leaks were found in the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, which has been plagued by a series of ongoing cracks that have been managed by Russia's Roscosmos agency, according to a statement from NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens.
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Five astronauts supervised by NASA aboard the station have been ordered to take shelter in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that's docked at the ISS after Roscosmos decided to perform a more extensive repair operation Friday.
NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway, middle left, Jessica Meir, middle right, Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, left, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, right, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Space Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station during a dress rehearsal prior to the Crew-12 mission launch, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(NASA/Aubrey Gemignani / NASA)
"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 said.
The Crew-12 mission includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at sunset at Space Launch Complex 40 as preparations continue for the Crew-12 mission, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
((NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) / NASA)
Crew-12 was launched on Feb. 13 and will be joined by NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who arrived separately back on Nov. 27, 2025, aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Check back for updates on this developing story.