Astronauts on board the International Space Station have been told to prepare for an emergency evacuation because of air leaks.
Nasa astronauts were told to shelter in their spacecraft and get ready to leave the floating laboratory as their Russian counterparts try and fix a worsening air leak on their side, the space agency said.
Soon after, Nasa said that the repairs had been “paused” and that it would be working with Russian colleagues on a collaborative approach to fix the leaks.
The four astronauts on Nasa’s side of the space station were told on Monday morning local US time that they should enter the spacecraft docked to the station, and put on their spacesuits in case they are forced to leave, the space agency said.
At the same time, their Russian colleagues attempted to fix a part of a service module transfer tunnel that is letting safe air out into space, Nasa said. The cracks that are causing the leak have long been a concern but Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, has been working to patch them.
Follow below for the latest on the problem and astronauts’ attempts to fix it.
Key Points
- Air has been leaking for years – but recently got worse
- Space agency launching 'more extensive repair operation'
- Space station is ageing – and causing more and more problems
Latest from NASA
19:15 , Dan HaygarthRoscosmos has paused Friday’s structural repair efforts inside the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, as more measurements and data is assessed. Given this development, NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven…
— Bethany Stevens (@NASASpox) June 5, 2026
What happened at the International Space Station?
18:50 , Dan HaygarthA worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station prompted five astronauts to take shelter and prepare for evacuation for roughly two hours on Friday as Russia attempted to fix a crack on its portion of the orbital laboratory, NASA said.
The four astronauts of NASA’s Crew-12 mission aboard the station — two Americans, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut — along with another U.S. astronaut were ordered by NASA mission control at 9:04 am ET (1304 GMT) on Friday to enter their SpaceX-built Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station, NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said.
NASA reversed that order roughly two hours later and told the astronauts they could return to the station as the agency and its Russian counterparts examined the rate of leaking air.
NASA and Russia's space agency Roscosmos, the station's two primary operators, have debated for months over the cause and potential fixes of small air leaks aboard Russia's Zvezda service module, a key structure of the ISS, a football field-size orbital laboratory where astronauts live and work in space.
Roscosmos said on Friday that its experts had detected two leaks aboard the ISS but that there was no immediate threat to the crew. The first leak was quickly sealed, and preparations were underway to seal the second one, Roscosmos said, adding that there was no threat to the spacecraft's systems.
Two leaks were found and steps taken to address them
18:20 , Dan HaygarthNasa has been working with its Moscow-based counterpart Roscosmos to find the root cause of the problem, which has been managed through mitigation measures and partial repairs.
Roscosmos said its experts had found two leaks aboard the ISS but steps had been taken to address these.
In a statement, the agency said: “The situation does not threaten the safety of the crew and onboard systems – the pressure on board the ISS is stable and maintained at the calculated level.”
There are currently seven astronauts aboard the station.
Recap: Space station astronauts stood ready to evacuate during air leak repairs
18:19 , Dan HaygarthAstronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered to prepare for a possible evacuation during attempts to fix a worsening air leak.
Five members were directed by Nasa’s mission control to take refuge in their docked spacecraft in case they need to escape quickly as repairs were carried out by a Russian crew on a transfer tunnel, which has suffered from cracking.
They were also told to put on their spacesuits.
However, the rare safe haven procedure was ended around two hours later and the astronauts returned to the football pitch-sized laboratory, orbiting around 250 miles above the Earth.
Fractures in the Zvezda service module had been an ongoing concern, said Nasa.
The agency has been working with its Moscow-based counterpart Roscosmos to find the root cause of the problem, which has been managed through mitigation measures and partial repairs.
Precise nature of 'repair efforts' remains unclear
16:03 , Andrew GriffinNasa and Russian space agency Roscosmos are yet to give much detail on what the repair efforts entail, apart from saying they are “extensive”.
But they appear to be so dangerous that the astronauts might have needed to do an emergency exit. Presumably the Russian cosmonauts doing the work were in even more potential danger.
Repair efforts 'paused', Nasa says
16:02 , Andrew GriffinNasa says the repair efforts have been ‘paused’ and that the astronauts will come back out of the spacecraft. They had entered as part of “safe haven procedures” that sees them prepare for evacuation, including putting on spacesuits.
“Roscosmos has paused Friday’s structural repair efforts inside the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, as more measurements and data is assessed,” Nasa spokesperson Bethany Stevens wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Given this development, NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station.
“We look forward to working with Roscosmos on a collaborative approach to address the leaks.”
Air leaks have increased recently
15:30 , Andrew GriffinWhile the leaks have been a concern for a while, they escalated on Monday from a pound of air per day to two pounds, Reuters reports, citing an unnamed senior Nasa official.
Space Station is ageing – and seeing increased problems
15:27 , Andrew GriffinThe International Space Station was first launched in 1998, and designed to last for 15 years. It has gone on for much longer than that – but is now seeing the wear and tear of nearly three decades in space.
It is in theory approaching the end of its life: the current schedule indicates that it is due to be retired in 2030. At that point, parts of it will be taken for use in new space stations and it will then be intentionally flown into Earth, to be destroyed.
As that retirement date has approached, however, the effects of its long service have become more clear. Chief among them are its air leaks, which have been a problem for years – including the one that Russian astronauts are now attempting to fix.
The Russian space agency has tried to hold off the problem by keeping the hatch to the service module closed, which it hoped would be enough of a resolution to keep the space station in service until 2030.
But, recently, the Americans have suggested that they would like to keep the ISS in operation for at least two more years. That has led to increased questions over whether the ageing space station is safe to keep around for that long – and new worries that it is not.
Leaks have been ongoing for six years – but have recently got worse
15:21 , Andrew GriffinNasa and Roscosmos have been monitoring an apparent air leak on the space station for about six years. There have been repeated attempts to fix it, which have stemmed the problem but not resolved it.
Doing so is difficult because it is hard to find the cracks in the segment that have led to the problems.
In January, however, Nasa said that the pressure inside the module had reached a “stable configuration”. That appeared to suggest the problem was at least reduced.
But, last month, Nasa said that the problem had come back. New issues were spotted on 1 May, after Russian cosmonauts took cargo out of a spacecraft that docked at the ISS.
“Teams performed data analysis, which indicated a loss of about one pound per day,” NASA spokesperson Josh Finch told Ars Technica in late May. “Roscosmos allowed the pressure in the transfer tunnel to gradually decrease while monitoring the rate.
“The area now is being maintained at a lower pressure, with small repressurizations as needed. There are no impacts to station operations, and NASA and Roscosmos are coordinating on next steps.”
Cracks have 'always been a concern', Nasa spokesperson says
15:15 , Andrew GriffinHere’s the full statement from Nasa spokesperson Bethany Stevens, which was posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. She says that the cracks in the space station have “always been a concern” and that the Russian space agency is launching a “more extensive repair operation”.
“The Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos as much as possible to date. The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely,” she wrote. “NASA and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause of the cracks, and Roscosmos manages the issue through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts. Following new leaks, Roscosmos has elected to proceed with a more extensive repair operation on Friday, June 5.
“Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four of the agency's SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway. We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution.”
Hello and welcome...
15:13 , Andrew Griffin... to The Independent’s live coverage of urgent attempts to fix a leak on the International Space Station, which has forced Nasa to advise its astronauts to prepare for an emergency evacuation.
