NASA on Friday instructed astronauts aboard the International Space Station to take shelter and prepare for possible evacuation following concerns over an air leak.
The agency said the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered cracks and leaks for some time, which Roscosmos has been mitigating.
Four of the station’s seven crew members were directed to move into the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft attached to the ISS while wearing spacesuits.
Out of an abundance of caution, NASA placed Crew-12 members and astronaut Chris Williams into an elevated safety posture inside the Dragon during repairs.
Roscosmos is scheduled to carry out repair work on Friday, according to NASA officials coordinating with Russian counterparts.
NASA and Roscosmos are working to identify the root cause and implement both operational mitigation and longer-term structural repairs.
Officials said cooperation continues with international partners to ensure the long-term safety and stability of the space station.
The incident has prompted increased monitoring of pressurized modules while engineers assess the severity of the cracks and evaluate repair timelines.
NASA emphasized that crew safety remains the highest priority during ongoing station operations and maintenance activities.