The US space agency and its Russian counterpart, Roscomos, are tracking 50 ‘areas of concern’ related to a growing leak aboard the station.
NASA is now calling the cracks in a Russian service module a ‘top safety risk’ – escalating the threat rating to five out of five.
Astronauts have been warned to stay in the American section when the module is open so they can be close to their spacecraft in case of an emergency evacuation.
Although officials have been aware of the issue since 2019, the exact source of the leak is still unknown.
All potential cracks have been covered with ‘a combination of sealant and patches’ but NASA warned that the leak reached its fastest rate yet in April this year.
Concerns over the station’s safety are now so high that NASA has negotiated with Roscomos to only open the hatch when absolutely necessary and to keep it sealed in the evenings.
This is from the Daily Mail so I’m not sure how much credence to give it but the leaks in the Russian module are well-known.