NASA Offers Temporary Housing for Space Station Astronauts in SpaceX’s Dragon Due to Leak Concerns

On Friday, NASA temporarily stationed five astronauts inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that was docked at the International Space Station while their Russian counterparts addressed a leaking service module.

Bethany Stevens, a spokesperson for NASA, shared on X that Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, detected additional leaks in its service module, prompting an “extensive repair operation.”

“As a precaution, NASA advised all four members of SpaceX Crew-12, along with NASA astronaut Chris Williams, to enhance their safety protocols within the Dragon spacecraft during the repairs,” she explained. “We are working closely with our Russian partners and the broader international community to seek a more sustainable solution.”

However, roughly an hour later, Stevens announced that Roscosmos had paused repairs to reevaluate “additional measurements and data.”

“In light of the situation, NASA has instructed the crew on the Dragon spacecraft to lift their safety protocols and return to normal operations on the International Space Station.”

The Russian service module has been grappling with persistent leakage issues. Stevens highlighted on Friday that these cracks “have been an ongoing concern that NASA is vigilantly monitoring.”

SpaceX has yet to comment on this matter.

At present, the ISS is home to ten individuals: four (comprising two NASA astronauts, one European Space Agency astronaut, and one Russian cosmonaut) who arrived in February as part of the long-duration SpaceX Crew-12 mission, along with three others (one NASA astronaut and two cosmonauts) who reached the station last November via a Russian Soyuz mission.

The repair efforts and temporary safety protocols unfold amidst ongoing uncertainties regarding the future of the International Space Station. With new leadership under Jared Isaacman, NASA plans to replace the aging station with commercially built modules over the coming decade.

This story has been updated to indicate the conclusion of the sheltering process.