NASA Offers Temporary Shelter for Space Station Astronauts in SpaceX’s Dragon Due to Leak Worries

On Friday, NASA briefly placed five astronauts inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that was docked at the International Space Station while Russian teams addressed a leaking service module.

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

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

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

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

The Russian service module has been experiencing ongoing leakage issues. Stevens pointed out on Friday that these cracks “have been a longstanding concern that NASA is actively monitoring.”

SpaceX has yet to provide a comment on the matter.

Currently, the ISS accommodates ten individuals: four (including two NASA astronauts, one from the European Space Agency, and one Russian cosmonaut) who arrived in February as part of the extended 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 operations and temporary safety measures are being carried out amid 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 manufactured modules over the next decade.

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