Uh-oh, the International Space Station is under attack again

NASA has confirmed on Thursday that the Russian part of the International Space Station has resumed its launch into space. It’s an old problem that NASA hopes will soon be solved.

For more than half a century, engineers from Roscosmos and NASA have been tracking the amount of leakage from a small Russian space station that entered the port. The sources of these leaks, small-scale cracks, have been difficult to find and control.

In January, NASA said that after several tests and the use of seals, the pressure inside the module, called the PrK module, had reached “a stable configuration.” The PrK module is actually a relay module that connects to the Zvezda Service Module on the Russian part of the space station.

NASA’s announcement was met with relief in the space community, as leaking space on a pressurized vessel like the International Space Station is not a good thing.

The leak starts again

Unfortunately, the leak returned three weeks ago. After multiple sources told Ars this, NASA confirmed the story on Thursday. On May 1, after Russian astronauts unloaded cargo from the Progress 95 cargo plane, Roscosmos noted a “slow descent” in the PrK sector.

“The team analyzed the data, which showed a loss of about one pound per day,” NASA spokesman Josh Finch told Ars. “Roscosmos allowed the pressure in the transmission line to decrease gradually by controlling the level. The area is now kept at a low level, with a little compression if necessary.

While there is no immediate concern about the astronauts on the station, or immediate concerns about the radio’s health, the recurring problem is raising new questions about the long-term existence of the ISS.

Big risk, big consequences

In the past, NASA officials have downplayed the threat in public and in meetings with ISS stakeholders. Inside, however, there seems to be more concern. The space agency uses a 5 × 5 “risk matrix” to describe the potential and consequences of threats to space travel, and Russia’s release is labeled a “5” for visibility and consequences. Their potential for “catastrophic failure” is discussed at meetings.