NASA is keeping quiet about yet another leak on the ISS.

 NASA is keeping quiet about yet another leak on the ISS.

At least one crew launch to the orbiting laboratory has already been delayed by NASA due to another leak on the ISS.

The space agency is not providing much information about the situation that is developing in orbit beyond that. As the space agency deals with hardware that is getting close to three decades in orbit, several sources have told Ars that the leak is a major issue.

Reviewing previous leaks on the station, which is made of aluminum, is crucial to comprehending the current condition. Since 2019, there has been a gradual but growing leak at the station. The transfer tunnel of the space station's Russian Zvezda service module, one of the complex's oldest components—the first components were launched in 1998—is where the air leaks are located. PrK, the Russian abbreviation for the transfer tunnel, links the Zvezda module to a docking port where Progress resupply spacecraft and Soyuz crew dock with the station.

Russian cosmonauts have occasionally tried patching the tiny fissures, but they have mostly simply slowed the leak's growth, which amounts to a few pounds of air per day. Closing the hatch leading to the PrK module has shown to be the best option, with the exception of spacecraft docking with the associated port.

What's happening, then?

According to Roscosmos, the PrK module underwent its most recent repairs early this month and was "completely sealed." According to NASA, repairs were just completed. Following this, Roscosmos and NASA reported that the PrK module's internal leak rate had stopped.

This appears to be fantastic news. Nonetheless, two sources reported that the overall air pressure in the space station kept declining. Why was the space station still losing air pressure if the PrK module was not leaking, as it had been for the past six months?

Nobody knows for sure. The best hypothesis is that there is some sort of leak in the seals on the gate that leads to the PrK module. In this case, the PrK module leak is being fed by station pressure through these seals, creating a steady pressure inside that gives the impression that the leaks have been completely fixed.

NASA is currently keeping an eye on the continuous leak and are ready for anything. The NASA leadership of the space station program is "worried" about the leak and its ramifications, a senior industry source told Ai tech.

This is one of the reasons the space agency postponed Thursday's launch of Axiom-4, a commercial mission that would transport four astronauts to the space station.

"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 stated in a statement. "A new launch date for the fourth private astronaut mission will be provided once available."

According to one source, June 18 is now the new estimated launch date. This will, however, rely on how the leak problem is resolved.

What could possibly go wrong?

The space station's worst-case scenario is that the continuous leaks are a sign of "high cycle fatigue," a condition that affects metal, including aluminum. Think about how a metal clothes hanger will bend if you bend it once. However, it will break if you repeatedly bend it back and forth. This is due to the metal hardening and finally breaking as it wears down. As was the situation with an Aloha Airlines flight in 1988, this occurs abruptly and without warning.

Some of these metal structures on board the station are at risk of rapidly and catastrophically failing. In order to assess the possibility and seriousness of hazards to the space station, NASA has previously ranked the structural cracking problem as the most serious concern on its 5v5 risk matrix.

However, the space agency has not provided any further details in the interim. NASA has not planned a press conference or made any other public statements regarding the leaks, despite numerous inquiries from Ars Technica and other articles, other than to say, "The crew aboard the International Space Station is safely conducting normal operations."

Top Searching Tags:

ISS leak news

NASA ISS leak

ISS leak investigation

NASA leaks 2025

International Space Station issues

NASA silence on ISS leak

Another leak on ISS

ISS leak 2025

NASA response ISS leak

ISS maintenance leaks

NASA ISS press release

Space station leak concerns

Space station air leak update

NASA response to ISS problems

ISS leak mystery

NASA ISS updates

International Space Station safety leak

ISS leak cause

NASA secrecy ISS leak

What caused the ISS leak?

https://www.aitechgadget.com/2025/06/nasa-is-keeping-quiet-about-yet-another.html