SPACE: NASA Strengthens Safety Protocol in Response to Persistent Air Leak in International Space Station.

The leak, first identified in 2019 within the Zvezda module’s PrK vestibule, has been under investigation and mitigation efforts.

A report from NASA’s Office of Inspector General indicated that the leak had escalated to nearly 1.7 kilograms per day by April 2024, prompting the ISS program to categorise it as a high-risk issue. However, NASA officials have reported significant improvements, noting that recent repairs have decreased the leak rate by about one-third.

The root cause of the leak remains under scrutiny, with both NASA and Roscosmos investigating internal and external welds. As a precaution, station crews maintain the hatch to the affected area closed when not in use to minimize the leak’s impact on overall station operations.

While NASA and Roscosmos collaborate on resolving the issue, they have not yet agreed on what constitutes an “untenable” leak rate. If the situation deteriorates further, a potential long-term solution could involve permanently sealing the hatch, which would eliminate a docking port for Progress and Soyuz spacecraft.

“Long-term” isn’t much for a station tentatively scheduled to be deorbited in 2030.