Cracks in the Russian part of the International Space Station (ISS) for several years have been a source of small, but constant air leaks, because of which PrK is the vestibule of the "Zvezda" service module, which connects the docking port to the rest of the station - was hermetically sealed off from the rest of the station, when it was not in use. Recent efforts by Russian cosmonauts on the ISS to apply sealant to cracks, looks like, stopped the leaks, however, this does not mean, that the problem is solved.
29 April 2026 year at a meeting of the Advisory Board of the International Space Station (ISS) its chairman Bob Cabana said, that the reason for the appearance of cracks in PrK remains a subject of investigation. Kabana reported, that his committee met in March in Houston with Russian colleagues from the Roscosmos Advisory Board of Experts to discuss the status of the station, with particular emphasis on cracks in the PrK. The Joint Commission observed, that NASA and Roskosmos specialists have made significant progress in studying the problem, and identified two potential causes of cracks: very high cycle fatigue from pump vibrations or environmental corrosion cracking. As of today, testing and analysis is ongoing.
The commission also reviewed the planning of the descent of the ISS from orbit, including backup options just in case, unless the American Deorbit Vehicle is available. NASA officially plans to decommission the ISS in 2030 year, but the Senate bill provides for the extension of NASA's authority to operate the station until 2032 year. According to Kabana, the multi-party control board of the station “expressed the desire, so that the decision of the partner agencies regarding the descent of the ISS from orbit or the continuation of its work was made to the end 2026 year », to begin coordinating government approvals and purchasing the necessary vehicles.
Source: https://spacenews.com