ISS in a weakened state. NASA has just released an investigation into the state of health of the International Space Station. And the state of ISS is rather worrying. A leak, which has been going on for five years already and located in the Russian segment of the device, could even push the space station into retirement a little faster than expected.
Leaks at the back!
“Approximately 80% of the systems on board the Russian segment of the ISS encountered numerous problems, including air leaks caused by cracks, Vladimir Solovyov, chief engineer of Energia, had already indicated in 2021, cited by THE Moscow Times. Once these systems are completely depleted, irreparable failures could occur. »
Today, the flow rate of this air leak, located in the Russian segment of the space station, is constantly increasing. From 1 kg per day in February, the Russian segment lost nearly 1.7 kg of air per day in April. Despite repairs carried out which have made it possible to limit losses since the spring, NASA and Roscosmos (the Russian space agency) have still not succeeded in completely sealing them. To date, the two agencies cannot define whether the problem comes from internal or external welding, or even both at the same time.
An end in 2030, really?
Still according to the latest report from NASA, the crew on board the ISS are not at immediate risk. The document, however, emphasizes the vulnerability of the ISS, and insists that the slightest supply problem or micrometeorite impact could represent a critical risk. Elements which validate the trend exposed by Vladimir Solovyov in 2021, who anticipated an “avalanche of failures” in the Russian segment by 2025.
Is the station therefore doomed? For the moment, operation of the station is planned until 2030. Afterwards, it should be deorbited by a SpaceX machine, which will considerably slow down the ISS. And, thus, experience a well-deserved retirement for a station whose project was launched in 1983 by Ronald Reagan, then President of the United States.