NASA Astronauts Take Refuge in SpaceX Capsule Due to ISS Malfunction

NASA ordered five astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule due to a new air leak in the Russian segment's service module. NASA representative Bethany Stevens announced on the X social network that the Roscosmos agency had detected new cracks in the module and initiated extensive repair work. This is reported by Techcrunch.com report .

As a precaution, NASA directed the four members of the agency's SpaceX Crew-12 mission and astronaut Chris Williams to remain in the Dragon capsule under high-security conditions until repairs are completed. Specialists are working together with the international community and Russian colleagues to completely resolve this issue.

The air leak problem in the Russian service module has persisted for quite some time. According to Stevens, these cracks remain a serious source of concern that NASA is constantly monitoring closely. It is not yet known how long the astronauts will remain in the Crew Dragon capsule.

Currently, a total of 10 people are residing on board the ISS. Four of them arrived in February as part of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission, while the others arrived last November aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. This emergency occurred at a time when the future of the station is in question.

NASA leadership, particularly under Jared Isaacman, plans to replace the aging space station with new commercially produced modules by the end of the decade. For now, NASA and SpaceX have not provided additional official comments on the situation.