NASA’s International Space Station air leak alert: Know the five astronauts who took refuge in SpaceX Dragon

NASA briefly instructed five astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter and prepare for a possible evacuation after concerns emerged over an air leak in a Russian segment of the orbiting laboratory.

The precautionary order was issued while a Russian crew worked to assess and address the leak. About two hours later, NASA lifted the shelter-in-place directive and informed the astronauts that they could return to normal station operations.

The five astronauts who moved into the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft included members of NASA’s Crew-12 mission — Commander Jessica Meir, Pilot Jack Hathaway, Mission Specialist Sophie Adenot and Mission Specialist Andrey Fedyaev — along with NASA astronaut Chris Williams, a flight engineer on the ISS Expedition 74 crew.

The move was part of standard safety procedures designed to ensure astronauts can quickly evacuate the station if required. No evacuation ultimately took place.

Jessica Meir, an American astronaut and veteran of a previous spaceflight, is serving as commander of the Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-12 mission. Jack Hathaway, a NASA astronaut and US Navy commander, is making his first trip to space as the spacecraft’s pilot.

Sophie Adenot, from France, is a European Space Agency astronaut selected in 2022 after a career as a helicopter pilot and engineer. Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev is on his second long-duration mission, having previously spent 186 days in orbit as part of Expedition 69 in 2023.

The current Expedition 74 crew, which began its mission in December 2025 and is scheduled to conclude later this year, includes Chris Williams of NASA, Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, and Flight Engineer Sergei Mikaev.

NASA and Roscosmos have been monitoring air leak issues in a Russian section of the station for several years. Friday’s shelter order was issued as a precaution while engineers and crew members evaluated the latest situation.

The International Space Station remains operational, and NASA said the astronauts were able to return to the station after the temporary safety alert was lifted.