NASA Ordered 4 Crew-12 Astronauts to Evacuate ISS as Russia Planned Hull Drilling
Updated
Updated · Jalopnik · Jun 22
NASA Ordered 4 Crew-12 Astronauts to Evacuate ISS as Russia Planned Hull Drilling
2 articles · Updated · Jalopnik · Jun 22
Summary
June 5 brought a near-evacuation on the ISS after NASA told four Crew-12 astronauts to shelter in a SpaceX Dragon capsule for possible emergency return, then later issued an all-clear.
Roscosmos had proposed drilling into the leaking PrK transfer tunnel on June 4 and later considered using a saw on a load-bearing bracket, plans NASA opposed amid fears of catastrophic decompression.
The leak affects a 26-year-old tunnel linked to Russia's Zvezda module that has lost about 2-4 pounds of air per day for years and had briefly been sealed earlier this year before returning in May.
Russia has now agreed to decommission the PrK tunnel and stop sending cosmonauts into it, eliminating the need to pressurize that section again but ending its use for cargo transfers.
The episode adds strain to NASA-Roscosmos cooperation as the ISS, already cleared to operate until 2030, could be extended again to 2032 under pending U.S. legislation.
With trust broken between space agencies, how can rival astronauts safely co-manage the aging ISS?
Will this ISS safety crisis accelerate the race for private space stations, ending the era of government cooperation in orbit?
When mission control poses a greater threat than space itself, what is the true cost of political tensions in orbit?
The June 2026 ISS Air Leak Crisis: Technical Failures, US-Russia Disagreement, and the Future of Space Station Operations
Overview
On June 5, 2026, the International Space Station faced a serious incident when a worsening air leak in the Russian Zvezda module’s PrK tunnel led NASA to order the crew into a safe haven. The situation escalated to the point where evacuation procedures were considered, but cosmonauts investigated the leak and the crew was able to return to normal operations after a short period. This event highlighted ongoing issues with persistent air leaks in the aging module and underscored the challenges of maintaining safety and cooperation aboard the ISS as it continues to operate.