NASA Rates ISS Zvezda Leak Losing 1.7 kg Daily as Station’s Top Safety Risk
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 26
NASA Rates ISS Zvezda Leak Losing 1.7 kg Daily as Station’s Top Safety Risk
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 26
Summary
NASA’s safety auditors placed the ISS leak in Zvezda’s PrK tunnel in the highest risk category, warning a worsening crack could force a crew evacuation within minutes.
The leak has persisted since 2019 and peaked at about 1.7 kilograms of air per day by early 2024; repeated Russian patching reduced the loss only temporarily.
Crews now keep the hatch to the narrow tunnel closed except during Progress cargo operations, limiting depressurization to that section rather than the whole station.
Engineers disagree on both cause and remedy: Roscosmos points to metal fatigue in 1980s-era welds after 25 years of stress, while NASA has resisted more invasive sampling.
Zvezda launched in 2000 with a 15-year design life and is now in year 26, adding to concerns about ISS operations through 2030 and beyond.
Is the ISS air leak an engineering flaw or a diplomatic crisis unfolding 250 miles above Earth?
With the ISS failing faster than its replacements are built, is humanity facing an unintended gap in space?
June 2026 ISS Air Leak Emergency: Zvezda Module’s Chronic Cracks and the Path Forward for International Spaceflight
Overview
In June 2026, the International Space Station faced a crisis when new air leaks were discovered in the Russian Zvezda service module, which has a history of cracks and leaks in its transfer tunnel. This escalation led NASA and Roscosmos to respond quickly, with astronauts temporarily sheltering in a docked spacecraft as a precaution, though no evacuation was needed. Both agencies confirmed there was no immediate danger, and after joint assessment and repair efforts by the crew and ground teams, normal operations resumed. The incident highlights ongoing technical challenges and the importance of international cooperation in maintaining the ISS.