![\"Diagram](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c999a1f1df85b13693602fefbd75ddbf.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nAstronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered to prepare for a potential evacuation, as engineers worked to fix a worsening air leak.<\/p>\n
Five crew members were instructed by Nasa’s mission control to retreat to their docked spacecraft, ready for a swift departure, while a Russian team repaired a cracked transfer tunnel.<\/p>\n
They were also told to don their spacesuits.<\/p>\n
However, the rare “safe haven” protocol was stood down approximately two hours later, allowing the astronauts to return to the football-pitch-sized laboratory, orbiting some 250 miles above Earth.<\/p>\n
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Diagram of the main components and modules of the International Space Station (PA)<\/p>\n
Fractures in the Zvezda service module had been an ongoing concern, said Nasa<\/a>.<\/p>\n The agency has been working with its Moscow-based counterpart Roscosmos<\/a> to find the root cause of the problem, which has been managed through mitigation measures and partial repairs.<\/p>\n Announcing the precautionary measure, Nasa spokesperson Bethany Stevens said in a post on X: \u201cThe Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos<\/a> as much as possible to date. The cracks have always been a concern that Nasa watches very closely.<\/p>\n \u201cNasa and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause of the cracks, and Roscosmos manages the issue through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts.<\/p>\n The International Space Station is seen from a Russian Soyuz MS-19 spaceship after undocking in 2022 (Roscosmos State Space Corporation\/AP)<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing new leaks, Roscosmos has elected to proceed with a more extensive repair operation on Friday June 5.<\/p>\n \u201cOut of an abundance of caution, Nasa has directed all four of the agency\u2019s SpaceX<\/a> Crew-12 members and Nasa astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is under way.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n In a later update, she added: \u201cRoscosmos has paused Friday\u2019s structural repair efforts inside the Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, as more measurements and data is assessed.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5aff0e867a394974822808e0001f183a.jpeg\"\/)
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