Russian ISS Module Continues To Leak
9- 3.08.2025, 13:08
- 5,582
Despite my best efforts.
Despite recent attempts to fix an air leak from the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), the problem remains unsolved.
As reported by Sergei Krikalev, executive director of Roscosmos' Sergei Krikalev manned programs, the leak is still ongoing, although the rate of air loss has been slowed.
The leak was first detected back in September 2019. The source was the intermediate chamber of the docking module connected to the Zvezda module, launched into orbit in July 2000. In six years, the leak rate doubled from about 0.45 kg to more than 0.9 kg of air per day. Because of this, NASA designated the leak as a critical risk.
In June 2024, there were hopes of positive developments: NASA postponed the launch of the Axiom 4 mission, citing new pressure readings in the Zvezda module. This may have indicated that the leak was temporarily fixed. However, further observations indicated that the problem was not permanently solved.
"It is important for all of us to draw conclusions so that similar situations do not recur on future stations," Krikalev said. If the situation worsens, space agencies may consider the option of a full hermetic closure of the module. In this case, the ISS will continue to operate, although the number of docking nodes for cargo ships will decrease.
Roscosmos and NASA have not yet agreed on the causes of the leak or methods to finally fix the problem.
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