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NASA briefly had five astronauts aboard the International Space Station’s shelter in its SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Friday, while their Russian counterparts attempted to repair the leaking service module.
NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens first books X posted on Friday that the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, had discovered new leaks in its service module and decided to conduct a “large-scale repair operation.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four members of SpaceX Crew-12 and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume a high safety position in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is being made,” she wrote. “We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to find a more permanent solution.”
About an hour after that statement, Stevens posted another mail Roscosmos has paused reform efforts to evaluate “further measurements and data,” he said.
“Given this development, NASA has instructed crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to terminate safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station.”
The Russian service unit has been dealing with the leaks for some time. Cracks “have always been a concern that NASA closely monitors,” Stevens wrote Friday.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
There are currently 10 people on board the International Space Station. Four of them (two NASA astronauts, an ESA astronaut, and a Russian cosmonaut) arrived at the station in February as part of the long-duration SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon mission. The other three (a NASA astronaut and two other astronauts) arrived last November aboard the Russian Soyuz mission.
The repair and temporary shelter request comes as the future of the International Space Station (ISS) is in question. Under the leadership of its new administrator, Jared Isaacman, NASA is operating to push To replace the aging space station with commercially produced modules later this decade.
This story has been updated to reflect the shelter’s end.
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