NASA briefly moved several ISS astronauts into a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Friday. The order came after a long-running air leak issue in the Russian segment became active again during planned repair work.
The move was a shelter-in-place step, not an evacuation. NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens said the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel is known as PrK. It has had cracks and leaks for some time. NASA directed the SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams into Dragon while Roscosmos prepared a wider repair.
That posture did not last long. In a follow-up update, Stevens said Roscosmos paused Friday’s structural repair work. Teams needed more measurements and data. NASA then told the crew members inside Dragon to end the safe haven procedure.
Why the PrK leak matters
PrK is a transfer tunnel in Zvezda, the Russian service module. SpaceNews reported that the area links a docking port with the rest of the module. The leak has been monitored for years. Air escaping is only part of the concern. The bigger question is why cracks keep appearing and how both space agencies manage the risk.
Roscosmos said controllers detected a leak while pressurizing PrK, according to SpaceNews. Cosmonauts inspected the vestibule and found two possible leak sites. One was coated with sealant, while teams prepared to seal another area on the conical section.
Roscosmos also said station pressure remained stable and that the situation posed no threat to the crew. That is the key detail for readers. The ISS crew used Dragon as a temporary safe haven while ground teams slowed down the repair plan.
A familiar ISS problem is not fully settled
The Zvezda leak is not new. Tech My Money covered the issue last month when the ISS Russian segment air leak appeared to return. That followed earlier repair efforts. At the time, NASA and Roscosmos still had not fully settled the root cause. They also had not settled the long-term severity of the cracking.
Friday’s brief Dragon shelter order shows why that disagreement matters. Even if cabin pressure stays normal, a leak in a critical station module changes crew work. It can also change hatch procedures and NASA’s confidence in a repair plan.
The immediate outcome is reassuring. The astronauts exited Dragon and got back to their day. Still, the aging ISS is being operated through 2030. Engineers are still chasing problems that started years ago.
