There's another leak on the International Space Station, and NASA has already delayed one crew launch to the orbiting laboratory as a result.
Beyond that, the space agency is not offering much information about the unfolding situation in orbit. However, multiple sources have confirmed to Ars that the leak is a serious concern for the space agency as it deals with hardware that is approaching three decades in orbit.
Roscosmos recently confirmed that it completed its most recent repairs on the PrK module earlier this month, saying it had been "completely sealed." NASA has also said that repairs were recently wrapped up. After this, both Roscosmos and NASA said the leak rate inside the PrK module had halted.
This seems like good news. However, the overall air pressure in the space station at large continued to drop, according to two sources. So if the PrK module was not leaking, as it had been doing for half a decade, why was the space station still losing air pressure?
No one is certain. The best guess is that the seals on the hatch leading to the PrK module are, in some way, leaking. In this scenario, pressure from the station is feeding the leak inside the PrK module through these seals, leading to a stable pressure inside—making it appear as though the PrK module leaks are fully repaired.
At this point, NASA is monitoring the ongoing leak and preparing for any possibility. A senior industry source told Ars that the NASA leadership of the space station program is "worried" about the leak and its implications.
This is one reason the space agency delayed the launch of a commercial mission carrying four astronauts to the space station, Axiom-4, on Thursday.