NASA directs its ISS crew members to board spacecraft amid leak repair attempt

NASA directed five astronauts to board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as Roscosmos cosmonauts attempt to address a leak problem on the International Space Station, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said in a post on X Friday.

The cracks and leaks on a portion of the space station operated by Russia, known as the Zvezda service module, have been a known concern for some time. But Stevens’ post suggested the situation had potentially worsened.

“Following new leaks, Roscosmos has elected to proceed with a more extensive repair operation on Friday, June 5,” Stevens said in the post. “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.”

The members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission include Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrew Fedyaev.