The International Space Station (ISS)a symbol of international cooperation and space research, faces one of its most critical challenges in its 25-year history. Air leaks have escalated until it became the biggest security risk at the orbital laboratory, according to the latest NASA reports.
The most worrying—and persistent—leak has been detected in the lobby of the Russian Zvezda service modulea zone called PrK that connects to one of the docking ports. Let us remember that this service module It has been in operation since July 2000.
This specific leak has been known for five years. It was discovered in 2019 and, although the ISS has recorded air leaks in several areas, PrK has been identified as the most critical point. Initially, this was a controlled problem, but leak rates have increased: has been doubled from one pound—half a kilo—of air lost per day to a little more than two pounds.
For this reason, as we said, the Office of the Inspector General of the space agency classified the leak as the biggest “security risk” for the ISS in a NASA audit published on September 26.
NASA and Roscosmos do not agree
Roscosmos attributes the cracks to “microvibrations” caused by the thermal cycling the station experiences in its orbit, that is, the bending of metal and similar components that heat up and cool as the ISS orbits in and out of sunlight.
Meanwhile, NASA points to a set of factors, including the mechanical stress, residual stress, material properties and environmental exposures.
Those responsible insist that the situation does not represent an immediate danger for the astronautsbut NASA warns that the problem compromises the structural integrity of the module and, potentially, the entire station.
That is to say: the United States space agency maintains that the possibility of a massive structural failure cannot be ruled out. However, Russia considers this unlikely.
Bob Cabana, chairman of the ISS advisory committee and former astronaut, sums it up forcefully: “Roscosmos does not believe that a catastrophic disintegration of the [módulo] PrK is realistic and NASA has expressed concern about the structural integrity of PrK and the possibility of a “catastrophic” failure.”
Cabana adds: “There is no common understanding between NASA and Roscosmos about what are the possible causes or the severity of the consequences of these leaks.” They also disagree on whether “continued operations are safe.”
For now, the immediate solution has been close the hatch connecting the Russian and American segmentsa temporary measure that could complicate operations.
An aging giant: the uncertain future of the ISS
The ISS, whose first module was launched in 1998, faces the inevitable wear and tear of a structure that orbits at more than 27,000 kilometers per hour and experiences constant temperature changes. This aging, combined with the increase in maintenance costs – which exceed 1.5 billion dollars annually -, increasingly complicates its operation.
In 2022, Russia announced its intention to abandon the ISS in 2028 to focus on its own space station, while NASA and other partners have committed their support until 2030. This context raises an inevitable question: how to manage an international infrastructure that cannot be physically separated, but whose alliances are fractured?
Faced with growing concerns, NASA has signed an $843 million contract with SpaceX to develop a ship capable of deorbiting the ISS in a controlled manner in 2031. This plan reinforces the transition towards a new stage in space explorationmarked by the participation of private companies.
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