The Air Leak on ISS Russian Module Is Getting Worse

NASA is monitoring a leak on the Russian module of the International Space Station (ISS), from which air has been escaping at an increasing rate for nearly four years. The space agency acknowledged that the leak is growing, while claiming it poses no threat to the astronauts on board.

The rate at which air is leaking in the Zvezda service module has doubled from one pound a day to “a little over two pounds a day,” NASA ISS Program Manager Joel Montalbano revealed during a press briefing on Wednesday, according to SpacePolicyOnline.

The Roscosmos space agency first reported the leak in August 2020, which was found in the Russian Zvezda life support module that Russia launched to low Earth orbit in July 2000. The leak is in a vestibule (named Prk) located between the docking port and the rest of the module. The module contains important life support systems, and crews rely on it as a critical support hub in emergencies.

The rate of leakage increased around a week before the February 14 launch of the Progress MS-26 cargo spacecraft, which docked to the aft end of Zvezda. The hatch that connects the module to the ISS remained open for five days as the crew offloaded the cargo from Progress MS-26 onto the space station, but it has since been closed shut.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Roscosmos also acknowledged the air leak, adding that its crew are regularly working to identify the source and fix possible leaks on the ISS, according to Russian state media TASS. The space agency added that the leak poses no threat to the crew or the space station itself.

NASA also stressed that the crew and the space station are safe for now. “The teams are watching it. We’re working with our Russian colleagues on the next step,” Montalbano said during Wednesday’s briefing, SpaceNews reported. “It’s not an impact to crew safety or vehicle operations.”

This isn’t the only leak detected from Russian hardware on the ISS. In December 2022, ground teams observed a fountain of particles pouring out from a Soyuz spacecraft docked to the ISS. In February 2023, shortly after docking with the ISS, a Russian Progress 82 freighter also started leaking coolant. In October 2023, the backup radiator of Russia’s Nauka module, mounted on the module’s exterior, started leaking coolant. Russia blamed the leaks on external impacts, but the three consecutive incidents suggested potential manufacturing defects.

The ISS has been in low Earth orbit for more than 20 years, housing crews of astronauts conducting research in the microgravity environment. In 2030, the space station is due to retire, deorbiting its ancient hardware to make room for newer, commercial space stations. Until that happens, hopefully the aging space station can keep it together for the crew on board.

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