The International Space Station Continues to Lose Atmosphere Despite Repairs in the Russian Segment

At the beginning of the year, it was confirmed that the Russian segment of the International Space Station had stopped leaking atmosphere into space thanks to repairs by cosmonauts that lasted several months. This was significant news as discussions were underway about the possibility of extending the operational life of the ISS from 2030 to 2032.

The situation seemed to stabilize and, overall, improve. However, in recent days, the International Space Station has once again begun to experience air leaks from the Russian segment of the ISS. The cause appears to be, once again, cracks within the structure of the docking module (PrK), with the initial reports emerging after the docking of the Progress 95 cargo spacecraft.

Roscosmos has detected a "slow pressure loss" again in the PrK module. Indications from early May showed a loss of half a kilogram per day. The Russian agency is closely monitoring the situation alongside NASA, but no particular problems have been reported in the immediate future, and the pressure inside the PrK docking module is being maintained at a lower level with some re-pressurizations over time.

This issue underscores the importance of developing commercial space stations (such as Haven-1, Axiom Station, and others) which have reached a critical moment, needing to become operational by 2030 or at the latest in 2032, to manage a crew in low Earth orbit. NASA is trying to change the modalities with which the new space stations will be made operational, an idea that does not sit well with the companies involved.

In contrast, Roscosmos is continuing the development of its Russian space station ROS, which could enter the operational phase around 2027 and be completed over the years with the addition of new modules. One possibility is also to utilize the more recent Russian modules from the International Space Station (specifically Nauka). However, this project faces challenges due to a lack of funding from the agency and a plan that risks being particularly costly and demanding.