On Friday, June 5, 2026, NASA detected a worsening ISS leak. It told the astronauts aboard the aging International Space Station to don spacesuits and shelter in an escape craft. A few hours later, they were given the all-clear to exit their shelter. But the leak is still there. Is an ISS evacuation still in the cards? Image via NASA/ Roscosmos.
ISS leak worsens, as astronauts shelter then return
At 13:04 UTC on June 5, 2026, NASA ordered astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to put on their spacesuits, take shelter and prepare for evacuation. The instruction came as Russian crewmembers attempted to repair a worsening air leak on their side of the station.
Less than two hours later, Mission Control said the sheltering astronauts – two U.S. astronauts, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut – could exit the “safe haven” of their Crew Dragon escape craft. NASA issued the command as the the repair attempt was paused to allow new measurements to be assessed, NASA said.
The leak is in a transfer tunnel module on the Russian side of the ISS, known as PrK. It’s been a known issue since 2019, and NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos have long been debating the cause and potential fixes. NASA officials reportedly said in a late-2024 meeting that the leak could lead to “a catastrophic failure.”
As of this morning, June 6, the ISS leak is still there, still as bad as before … still leaking.
This week, the ISS leak was seen as worsening
NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens wrote on X Friday that:
The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely.
And a senior NASA official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the leaks worsened on Monday, escalating from a pound (.45 kg) of air per day to two pounds (.9 kg).
That’s what drove this repair attempt, and the evacuation precautions. Stevens continued:
Following new leaks, Roscosmos has elected to proceed with a more extensive repair operation on Friday, June 5. Out of an abundance of caution, NASA has directed all four of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is underway.
But within a few hours, the repair attempt was paused. Stevens explained in a follow-up post:
Roscosmos has paused Friday’s structural repair efforts inside the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, as more measurements and data is assessed. Given this development, NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station. We look forward to working with Roscosmos on a collaborative approach to address the leaks.
The leak is physically located in the PrK transfer tunnel, which is part of the Russian Zvezda service module on the ISS. Image via Informat.ro, a Romanian news and media aggregator platform.
When will ISS be deorbited?
The assembly of the International Space Station officially began on November 20, 1998, with the launch of its first module, a Russian-built control module named Zarya. It has been continuously inhabited for over 25 years.
As of now, 2031 remains the targeted year for the controlled deorbit of the aging space station.
The current operational plan transitions the station out of service at the end of December 2030, with the actual descent and destructive reentry through Earth’s atmosphere scheduled to take place in early 2031.
NASA and its international partners have already actively set this plan into motion:
The deorbit vehicle: NASA officially selected SpaceX to develop and build the specialized “U.S. Deorbit Vehicle” (a heavily modified Dragon spacecraft). This vehicle will dock with the ISS and use massive amounts of propellant to safely guide the station down over an open ocean area.
Why not sooner? Despite the recent escalation of the air leaks in the Russian Zvezda module’s PrK tunnel, NASA and Roscosmos management maintain that the structural risks are manageable. They plan to continue operating the station safely for the remainder of the decade while commercial replacements are built.
Go on to 2032? While some members of Congress have occasionally floated the idea of extending operations until 2032 to prevent a gap in low-Earth orbit research, the official international agreement and technical timeline firmly target 2031 for the final splashdown.
Bottom line: The International Space Station has a leak. NASA told the astronauts yesterday to shelter and prepare for an evacuation. What happened? Read about the ISS leak.
Read more: Could the space station leak lead to ‘catastrophic failure’?
Will Triggs
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About the Author:
Will Triggs fell in love with stargazing after moving to England’s east coast, where the dark skies allowed him to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way for the first time. Producing content across EarthSky’s website, newsletter and YouTube channel, he is responsible for EarthSky stories on astrophysics, the wonders of the night sky, and our changing Earth.
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says.