NASA and Roscosmos argue over increasing leaks in the space station. “Not reached yet…”

NASA engineers have discovered that part of the International Space Station is leaking. According to the space agency’s inspector general, there are leaks in a tunnel that connects the Russian part of the station to a docking port. The problem is that no one knows what is causing the leaks.

“Persistent cracks and air leaks in the service module transfer tunnel pose a major safety risk,” the report said.

In June, the crack in NASA’s “risk matrix” was moved to the highest level of concern, Ars Technica reported.

NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos are working together to solve the problem.

“And NASA and Roscosmos are working together to investigate and repair the cracks and leaks, determine the root cause, and monitor the station for new leaks.”

“Although the root cause of the leak remains unknown, both agencies have narrowed their focus to internal and external welds,” the report said.

According to a report from Ars Technica, in April, NASA “detected an increase in leakage to its highest level ever.” The gain increased to a whopping 3.7 pounds of atmosphere per day, compared to less than a pound in February.

NASA currently plans to decommission the space station in 2030. Until then, however, it is important to keep everything perfect. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case as the report points out problems in troubleshooting the issue whenever it is detected.

The report cites “supply chain issues” faced by NASA contractors that could make it difficult to maintain the space station’s operations until it is finally decommissioned.

If engineers cannot identify and fix the problem, NASA and Roscosmos may have to permanently close the hatch to the affected tunnel. This would cut off access to one of the station’s four docking ports.

However, this could be a point of conflict between NASA and Roscosmos as they do not “agree on the point beyond which the leak rate is unsustainable.”

Specifically, SpaceX will help NASA deorbit the station and crash it into the Pacific Ocean in 2030.