Overview
- NASA ordered five crew into a docked SpaceX Crew Dragon on June 5 after Russian crews prepared a risky cutting operation in Zvezda’s PrK vestibule and Roscosmos paused the work.
- Russian officials now appear likely to decommission the PrK compartment by permanently closing its hatch to isolate the leak rather than pursue further intrusive repairs.
- Closing the PrK will abandon the internal passage to the rear Zvezda docking port but still allow external transfers of fuel, water, and gases through automated plumbing on the outside of the port.
- NASA raised safety objections to the proposed saw‑cut repair because it could damage load‑bearing structure, a dispute that produced operational friction and prompted the shelter‑in‑place order.
- The leak, first traced in 2019 and reported to have grown to about two pounds of air per day, highlights aging hardware risks for the ISS and could shift routine station tasks to U.S. vehicles if Zvezda is judged unsafe for reboosts.