Five astronauts are currently sheltering inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule aboard the International Space Station. NASA has ordered the crew to shelter in the Elon Musk-owned spacecraft while their Russian counterparts work to patch new leaks discovered in the station's Russian service module.
NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens announced the precautionary measure via X on Friday. Roscosmos had uncovered additional cracks in the module and decided to launch an extensive repair operation. The four SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts and NASA's Chris Williams have been told to assume what NASA calls an "elevated safety posture" in the Dragon capsule.
The Russian service module has been plagued by leaks for some time. Stevens confirmed that cracks in the structure have "always been a concern that NASA watches very closely." The leaks are not new, but serious enough that NASA is taking precautions.
Neither NASA nor SpaceX has confirmed how long the repairs might take. Currently, 10 people are aboard the ISS — a mix of NASA astronauts, European Space Agency staff, and Russian cosmonauts who arrived in February and November respectively.
The shelter order comes as the ISS's future is in flux. Under new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, the agency is planning to phase out the aging space station and replace it with commercially-produced modules by the end of this decade.
