International Space Station's Russian Module Leak Resumes After Brief Stabilization
By
Jordan Strickler
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
The International Space Station is experiencing a persistent air leak from a hairline crack in its oldest Russian module (the Zvezda service module's transfer tunnel). After NASA announced in January 2025 that the leak had stabilized, it resumed on May 1, 2025, while Russian cosmonauts were unloading cargo. Engineers have exhausted most repair options, and the leak continues to bleed air into space, raising concerns about the aging station's structural integrity and the limited remaining solutions.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledFor a brief, hopeful moment earlier this year, it seemed the International Space Station had finally stopped hemorrhaging.
After more than half a decade of chasing hairline cracks through one of its oldest Russian modules, NASA announced in January that the pressure inside the troublesome transfer tunnel had reached what engineers called a 'stable configuration.'
On May 1, while Russian cosmonauts were unloading cargo, the leak resumed.
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