Sources confirm that two British-trained astronauts were forced into emergency shelter last night after an air leak was detected on the International Space Station. The leak, which occurred in the Russian segment of the ISS, triggered alarms at Mission Control in Houston at approximately 22:00 GMT. The astronauts, whose identities have not been officially released, are understood to be safe and monitoring the situation from the Soyuz capsule docked to the station.
This is the third such incident in the past two years, raising serious questions about the ageing infrastructure of the orbiting laboratory. The leak was initially detected by sensors measuring cabin pressure, which dropped by 3% over a 90-minute period. The crew isolated themselves in the Soyuz as a precautionary measure while ground teams worked to identify the source.
NASA has not yet confirmed whether the leak has been sealed. A spokesperson for the UK Space Agency said, 'We are in close contact with our international partners and are relieved to report that all crew members are safe.' However, internal documents obtained by this reporter suggest that budget cuts to maintenance programmes have been a recurring concern among safety officers.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has declined to comment on the cause. The incident comes just weeks after a similar leak was patched using a 'space tape' fix, a method criticised by some engineers as a temporary stopgap. With the ISS set to retire in 2031, the pressure is mounting for both private and state-backed alternatives.
For now, the two British-trained astronauts remain in the relative safety of their Soyuz lifeboat, while the rest of the world waits to see if the leak is another near miss or a sign of something far more dangerous.
