Agency Pushes Back Axiom Mission 4 to Evaluate the Situation

There’s a new leak aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and NASA has quietly pressed pause on launching a crew of astronauts while it figures out what exactly is going on. The leak is believed to be related to the Russian Zvezda service module, one of the oldest parts of the station.

Specifically, attention has returned to the PrK transfer tunnel, which connects Zvezda to a docking port used by Soyuz and Progress vehicles. This section has been leaking air, slowly but steadily, since 2019. While small, the leak has required constant monitoring and intermittent repairs. The task has been mostly handled by Russian crews.

Roscosmos recently stated that repairs to the PrK were completed and that the module had been “completely sealed.” Though NASA echoed that message, internal air pressure on the station continued to drop, suggesting something isn’t fully resolved. It’s now suspected that the hatch seals leading into the PrK might be leaking, allowing air from the station to enter the tunnel and out from there. This creates a situation where the PrK appears sealed, but the leak has found a new route.

“The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 provides additional time for NASA and Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary,” the agency said in a statement. A new launch date has not been officially confirmed, though June 18 has been floated as a possibility.

Underlying this seemingly small situation is a larger concern about the aging hardware aboard the ISS. With key components now in orbit for over two decades, engineers are increasingly watching for signs of structural fatigue. One worst-case scenario involves “high-cycle fatigue” in the station’s aluminum components, where decades of flexing and thermal cycling could cause sudden and severe failures.

For now, NASA insists that the station is safe and that the crew is moving forward with routine operations. But with limited public updates and rising concern behind the scenes, this latest leak serves as another reminder of the challenges of keeping a 26-year-old spacecraft safely running hundreds of miles above Earth.

FMI: www.nasa.gov