NASA tells astronauts to shelter in SpaceX Dragon due to new ISS leaks - BERITAJA

NASA has told 5 astronauts aboard the International Space Station to shelter successful a docked SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft while their Russian counterparts effort to repair a leaking work module.

NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens wrote successful an X station connected Friday that Russia’s abstraction agency, Roscosmos, had discovered caller leaks successful its work module, and decided to execute an “extensive repair operation.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed each 4 of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to presume an elevated information posture successful the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway,” she wrote. “We proceed to activity pinch our Russian counterparts, on pinch the remainder of the world organization that supports the abstraction station, to get astatine a much imperishable resolution.”

The Russian work module has been dealing pinch leaks for immoderate clip now. Stevens wrote connected Friday that the cracks “have ever been a interest that NASA watches very closely.”

It’s not clear really agelong the astronauts will person to enactment successful the Crew Dragon capsule. NASA and SpaceX did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

There are presently 10 group aboard the ISS. Four of them (two NASA astronauts, 1 European Space Agency astronaut, and 1 Russian cosmonaut) arrived astatine the position successful February arsenic portion of the long-duration SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon mission. The different 3 (one NASA astronaut and 2 different cosmonauts) arrived past November aboard a Russian Soyuz mission.

The repair cognition and impermanent shelter bid travel arsenic the early of the International Space Station (ISS) is successful question. Under the activity of its caller administrator, Jared Isaacman, NASA is pushing to switch the aging abstraction position pinch commercially-produced modules later this decade.