ISS air leak scare: NASA reverses evacuation alert after two hours — Who is aboard the Space Station right now?

A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station (ISS) prompted NASA to order five astronauts to take shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation on Friday, highlighting ongoing concerns over a long-running leak problem in the Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory.

The precautionary measure lasted for nearly two hours before NASA lifted the order and allowed the astronauts to return to normal operations while engineers from NASA and Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, continued evaluating the situation.

The move came as Russian specialists attempted to repair a crack believed to be causing an increase in air leakage from the ISS.

NASA later rescinded the shelter order after Roscosmos paused its repair efforts, allowing the astronauts to leave the spacecraft and return to the station.

Officials stressed that the action was precautionary and that the crew was never in immediate danger.

NASA and Roscosmos have been monitoring the problem for months, but the situation intensified when the leak rate reportedly doubled from approximately one pound of air loss per day to two pounds per day.

Russian officials said two leaks had been detected. One was sealed quickly, while preparations were underway to address the second.

Roscosmos maintained that there was no immediate threat to crew safety or station systems.

According to a senior NASA official, two Russian cosmonauts planned to use a saw to access an area where they believed the crack was located.

NASA reportedly objected to the approach and ordered safe-haven procedures while discussions continued.

The safe-haven order was lifted after Roscosmos paused its repair attempt, allowing both agencies to work toward a coordinated solution.

NASA said it looked forward to collaborating with Roscosmos on addressing the leak.

Jessica Meir – Spacecraft Commander

Jessica Meir is an American astronaut and commander of the Crew-12 Dragon spacecraft.

A native of Caribou, Maine, she was selected by NASA in 2013. This is her second spaceflight.

Jack Hathaway – Spacecraft Pilot

Jack Hathaway serves as pilot of the Dragon spacecraft.

The US Navy commander from Connecticut is making his first trip to space.

Sophie Adenot – Mission Specialist

Sophie Adenot is a French astronaut representing the European Space Agency.

Selected in 2022, she previously worked as a helicopter pilot and engineer.

Andrey Fedyaev – Mission Specialist

Andrey Fedyaev is a Russian cosmonaut on his second long-duration mission.

He previously spent 186 days aboard the ISS during Expedition 69 in 2023.

Chris Williams – Flight Engineer

Christopher Williams, known as Chris Williams, is a NASA astronaut serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 74.

He joined the four Crew-12 astronauts inside the Dragon spacecraft during the precautionary shelter procedure.

Sergey Kud-Sverchkov – Expedition 74 Commander

Sergey Kud-Sverchkov commands Expedition 74 and has extensive experience aboard the ISS.

Sergei Mikaev – Flight Engineer

Sergei Mikaev serves as a flight engineer on Expedition 74 and was involved in the leak response efforts.

The procedure is designed to ensure crew members can quickly undock and return to Earth if necessary.

Such orders are uncommon and are generally triggered by potential threats such as:

-Air leaks

-Space debris collision risks

-Pressure loss

-Other emergencies affecting station safety

The ISS remains one of the most continuously inhabited structures ever built, hosting astronauts and cosmonauts from multiple nations since 2000.