Five astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were briefly ordered to take shelter in a Dragon spacecraft after a leak was discovered in a module, NASA said on Friday.
A NASA spokeswoman announced on platform X that US astronaut Chris Williams and all four members of the SpaceX Crew 12, who arrived at the ISS in February, were instructed to move into the Dragon spacecraft and remain there until repair work was completed.
The agency described the measure as a precaution after leaks were found in a transfer tunnel on the Zvezda module.
"The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely," spokeswoman Bethany Stevens wrote.
The repairs were due to be carried out by Russian space agency Roscosmos, but Stevens later said that "Roscosmos has paused Friday’s structural repair efforts."
"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," she added.
Roscosmos had no further comment on the incident.
According to operator SpaceX, the Dragon spacecraft can accommodate up to seven people.
Astronauts have lived and conducted research continuously aboard the ISS for around 25 years. ISS crews have had to deal with leaks on several previous occasions, including in the Zvezda module. The station has also been evacuated multiple times due to the risk of collision with space debris.
