'Air escaping ISS': Sunita Williams on board as NASA and Russia disagree on the next steps

The International Space Station (ISS) is leaking air, and its future hangs in the balance as NASA and Roscosmos disagree on how to address the growing issue.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the ISS, is among the crew navigating this escalating crisis, which some warn could threaten the station's ability to operate through its expected lifespan.

The leak, first detected in 2019, originates from the PrK module, a Russian segment connecting the Zvezda service module to the rest of the station. While cosmonauts have worked to minimize its impact by sealing off the module when not in use,

NASA reports that the leak has intensified. Air is escaping at a rate of 2 to 2.5 pounds per day, with occasional spikes, like the 3.7-pound loss recorded in April.

NASA officials warn the leak could cause a “catastrophic failure” if left unchecked. Bob Cabana, chair of NASA’s ISS Advisory Committee, stated during a public meeting that the issue poses a significant risk to the station’s goal of operating until 2030.

Meanwhile, Russian space agency Roscosmos has downplayed the severity, insisting the leak does not jeopardize the station’s future. The disagreement has delayed a unified response, even as both agencies agree to seal off the segment should air loss become “untenable.” What constitutes that threshold, however, remains unresolved.

Experts attribute the leak to decades of wear and tear on the ISS, which has been continuously occupied since 2000. Mechanical stress, micrometeoroid impacts, and aging infrastructure are likely culprits behind the tiny fissures.

NASA has taken precautionary measures, including preparing additional “pallet seats” on SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for potential emergency evacuations. “The station is not young,” astronaut Michael Barratt said, acknowledging the challenges of maintaining a 25-year-old structure in space.

The ISS, a symbol of international cooperation, is expected to remain operational until 2030, after which it will be deorbited into Earth’s atmosphere. With no plans for a replacement, the current leak raises pressing questions about the future of human presence in low Earth orbit.

For now, Sunita Williams and her crewmates continue their mission aboard the aging station, even as the cracks—both literal and figurative—become harder to ignore.