NASA tells astronauts to shelter in SpaceX Dragon due to new ISS leaks

NASA has told 5 astronauts aboard the International Space Station to structure successful a docked SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft portion their Russian counterparts effort to repair a leaking work module.

NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens wrote successful an X station connected Friday that Russia’s abstraction agency, Roscosmos, had discovered caller leaks successful its work module, and decided to execute an “extensive repair operation.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed each 4 of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to presume an elevated information posture successful the Dragon spacecraft portion the repair is underway,” she wrote. “We proceed to enactment with our Russian counterparts, on with the remainder of the planetary assemblage that supports the abstraction station, to get astatine a much imperishable resolution.”

The Russian work module has been dealing with leaks for immoderate clip now. Stevens wrote connected Friday that the cracks “have ever been a interest that NASA watches precise closely.”

It’s not wide however agelong the astronauts volition person to enactment successful the Crew Dragon capsule. NASA and SpaceX did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

There are presently 10 radical aboard the ISS. Four of them (two NASA astronauts, 1 European Space Agency astronaut, and 1 Russian cosmonaut) arrived astatine the presumption successful February arsenic portion of the long-duration SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon mission. The different 3 (one NASA astronaut and 2 different cosmonauts) arrived past November aboard a Russian Soyuz mission.

The repair cognition and impermanent structure bid travel arsenic the aboriginal of the International Space Station (ISS) is successful question. Under the enactment of its caller administrator, Jared Isaacman, NASA is pushing to regenerate the aging abstraction presumption with commercially-produced modules aboriginal this decade.