© ESA/Luca Parmitano. Archival photo: View of the Amazon River from the ISS.
Cape Canaveral, August 1st. Dmitry Bakanov, the head of Roscosmos, has confirmed that a leak detected in the transfer module of the International Space Station`s (ISS) Russian segment poses no immediate threat to the station`s vital life support systems.
Bakanov suggested that the concern surrounding this issue might be somewhat exaggerated. He highlighted that the leak`s intensity has significantly decreased—by a factor of ten—between March and July, reaching a point where it was almost imperceptible. He emphasized that specialists have been actively working on this particular problem for over six years.
According to Bakanov, the leak`s location in a non-central, transfer module means it does not currently compromise the life support capabilities for either the ISS itself or the cosmonauts aboard. He further noted that Roscosmos is collaborating closely with NASA on addressing the issue, and the American space agency has not raised any concerns from their side.
Previously, Sergey Krikalev, Deputy Head of Roscosmos, had also acknowledged that while the air leak in the Russian segment of the ISS continues, its magnitude has considerably reduced. The presence of this leak was first reported in September 2019. Despite multiple attempts over the past years to completely seal it, these efforts have so far only achieved partial success.
