Air Leak on International Space Station Triggers Evacuation Protocol – Astronauts Shelter in Dragon Capsule While Russian Cosmonauts Work To Seal Microscopic Structural Fractures
ISS air leak is back in the news.
We have been reporting here on TGP about the security threat to the International Space Station – an air leak in a Russian segment of the Station that was first discovered in 2019, was dealt with, but now has become a problem again.
Yesterday (5), work on the leak prompted astronauts to shelter in their ‘lifeboats’ (the Dragon Capsule), fearing an evacuation might be required.
Last night astronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered to shelter in a Dragon Space capsule while Russian cosmonauts attempted repairs on worsening air leaks in a transfer tunnel. The microscopic cracks in the Russian section have been present for six to seven… pic.twitter.com/IjuIMMHn9Y
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) June 6, 2026
ASTRONAUTS SHELTER IN PLACE IN SPACEX DRAGON
NASA directed five of the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) at 1304 UTC, Friday (June 5) to shelter in the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon ‘Freedom’ spacecraft as a precautionary measure while two Russian… pic.twitter.com/54iWQ8DfyM
— keneci News (@Kenecifeed) June 6, 2026
The Telegraph reported:
“Nasa and the Russian space agency Roscosmos have been struggling to seal microscopic structural cracks in a transfer tunnel leading to the Russian Zvezda module since 2019.
At its peak, the leak was venting more than two pounds of air per day, but in recent months the astronauts thought they had the problem under control.”
Russian media has published audio from the developing emergency aboard the International Space Station.
NASA says astronauts were ordered to move into their spacecraft and prepare for possible evacuation after an air leak in the Russian segment worsened.
In the audio, ground… https://t.co/ZLcnVpx6yv pic.twitter.com/T2I32YagpX
— Brian McDonald (@BrianMcDonaldIE) June 5, 2026
Five members of the ISS crew to were ordered to shelter inside the docked SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, while two Russian cosmonauts attempted to assess and repair the leak.
“’We are comfortable with backing out of the safe haven config’, astronauts were told from Houston. ‘With today’s operations, they wanted to be extra safe, extra precautionary, and have the crew move into the safe haven posture’, a Nasa spokesman later said.
A safe haven configuration is an emergency safety procedure where crew members retreat into their docked spacecraft to use them as ‘lifeboats’ that can immediately evacuate to Earth should the space station suffer a catastrophic failure.”
NASA Orders ISS Evacuation Alert Over Air Leak
Four ISS astronauts donned spacesuits and sheltered in their Crew Dragon as an air leak on Russia’s Zvezda module doubled on June 1. pic.twitter.com/X7hp25xr1P
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) June 5, 2026
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