June 6, 2026, 1:12 p.mJune 6, 2026, 1:12 p.m
How unusual are the leaks at the International Space Station, which caused several astronauts to temporarily leave the space station? For experts, they are not a big surprise.
“You always have to consider the size of the ISS,” said the ex-head of the European Space Agency Esa, Jan Wörner, to the DPA news agency. “With such a large infrastructure, there are always certain leakage rates in connections. It becomes critical if there is local material failure, for example a seal. This can then lead to uncontrolled progression of the leak. That’s why evacuation is a precautionary measure.”
The SpaceX spacecraft “Dragon” took off from Florida, USA on February 13, 2026.Image: keystone
Astronauts temporarily leave the space station
On Friday, the four members of SpaceX Crew 12 and US astronaut Chris Williams had to temporarily move from the space station to the Dragon spacecraft. Meanwhile, two places on the so-called Zvezda module should be repaired. The Russian space agency responsible for this, Roscosmos, said that one location was immediately sealed and that preparatory work was underway for another location. Since the work was paused, NASA gave the five astronauts the green light a little later to return to the space station.
Roscosmos said:
“The safety of the crew and on-board systems is not at risk; the pressure on board the ISS is stable and maintained at the intended level.”
It was initially unclear when the repairs would continue.
Wear and tear after many dockings
Russian space expert Georgi Trishkin explains the leaks with increasing wear and tear in the Zvezda module. There are micro-cracks in the old weld seams of the module and defects. “The main problem, however, is the wear and tear of the docking part of the module,” he writes in an analysis of the new air leak. Zvezda has had 66 dockings. “That’s more than any other module in the station. Every docking process places additional strain on the construction of the docking part,” he explains.
“We have been dealing with these leaks for seven years and have been working on them with mixed success.” This time it is a new leak – not the result of a previous repair, which makes it more difficult to find a cause, Trischkin said.
According to the operator SpaceX, up to seven people can fit in the “Dragon” spaceship. Astronauts have been living and researching on board the ISS for around 25 years.
Russia, the USA, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency (ESA) work together on the ISS. The major scientific project continues despite the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The station flies around the earth in space at an altitude of around 400 kilometers. (hkl/sda/dpa)