Washington: NASA on Friday briefly instructed astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation amid concerns over an air leak. The directive was issued as a precautionary measure to address ongoing issues with the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, which has been experiencing cracks and leaks.

According to Anadolu Agency, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens explained that the Zvezda module has been a point of concern for some time. Despite mitigation efforts by Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, the cracks have persisted. In light of these concerns, NASA directed all SpaceX Crew-12 members and astronaut Chris Williams to assume safety measures in the Dragon spacecraft while repairs were underway.

Stevens stated that Roscosmos is scheduled to conduct repair work on the module. NASA and Roscosmos are collaborating to identify the root cause of the cracks and are implementing operational mitigation measures along with periodic repair efforts to manage the situation.

Stevens further mentioned that NASA continues to work closely with Roscosmos and the international community supporting the space station to find a permanent resolution. A separate statement noted that Roscosmos paused the repair efforts to take additional measurements and assess data. Consequently, NASA instructed the crew to end the safe haven procedures and return to their planned operations aboard the ISS.

The collaboration between NASA and Roscosmos remains strong, with both agencies looking forward to a joint approach in addressing the air leak issues.