The ISS experienced a tense dispute on June 5 after Russian plans to repair a long-running leak in the PrK connector alarmed NASA. Five crew members temporarily sheltered in a docked Dragon spacecraft while agencies debated risky fixes that reportedly included sawing and drilling into a module wall. Reports say Roscosmos ultimately stood down, and the PrK will be decommissioned and kept unpressurized, limiting use of its docking port.
Tension Aboard the ISS: Russian Plan To Saw or Drill Module Prompts NASA Crew To Shelter in Dragon
Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock
For years, NASA and Roscosmos have struggled with recurring air leaks aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The aging, continuously inhabited outpost is showing its age, and a persistent problem has centered on a short connector known as the PrK — the passage that links the Russian Zvezda module to the station’s aft docking port.
Intermittent leaks in the PrK have been recorded since at least 2019, prompting growing concern within both agencies. The situation intensified on June 5 when NASA announced that five crew members had moved into a docked SpaceX Dragon spacecraft "out of an abundance of caution" while Russian teams discussed "mitigation measures" to address reported cracks.
Contested Repair Plans
Both NASA and Roscosmos have been reticent about the full details, but anonymous sources speaking to Ars Technica and The Register described a tense disagreement over aggressive repair options. Initial Russian proposals reportedly included using a handsaw. Other discussed measures involved a drill and a "drill stop," a device designed to bore completely through a module wall — an approach that alarmed NASA officials.
“We threatened we would put astronauts in suits, in Dragon, to send a message to the world that we disagreed,” a NASA official told Ars Technica. “They didn’t care.”
According to reporting, the situation escalated when cosmonauts approached the PrK section with a saw and appeared prepared to remove a load-bearing bracket — an action that risked structural damage and potential depressurization.
Precautionary Shelter and Aftermath
With communications between agencies reportedly strained, NASA ordered the four Crew-12 members and NASA astronaut Chris Williams (who arrived on a Soyuz in November) to shelter inside the docked Dragon vehicle. A NASA source told Ars that there was a "very high probability of a bad outcome happening if they sawed that bracket off," which motivated the protective move.
Reports indicate that the precaution convinced Roscosmos to stand down from the most extreme repair measures. Still, the episode could have lasting consequences: Ars Technica reports the PrK module will be decommissioned and remain unpressurized, a step that would significantly limit use of its attached docking port.
Implications for the Station
Decommissioning and sealing off the PrK would likely allow the ISS to continue operations, but experts warn of remaining risks. "So, yeah, worst case, you could seal it off, and I think the Space Station could continue," ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen told The Register in 2024. "But of course, you never know what other problems might arise."
The episode highlights both the technical challenges of maintaining a decades-old orbital laboratory and the diplomatic friction that can arise when international partners disagree on high-stakes repairs. How the agencies will collaboratively manage the PrK leak and similar aging-components issues remains an open question.
Sources: Reporting by Ars Technica and The Register; official NASA statement on June 5.
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