Wed Jun 25 09:40:00 UTC 2025: ## News Article: ISS Leak Mystery Deepens as Private Astronaut Mission Launches Amid Concerns
**Cape Canaveral, Florida -** The Axiom Space Mission 4 (Ax-4) successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) early Wednesday morning, but the launch was overshadowed by lingering concerns about a persistent air leak in a Russian module and a potentially worsening situation on the orbital outpost.
The Ax-4 mission, a private venture involving SpaceX and Axiom Space, was delayed for over a week while NASA and Roscosmos investigated the source of the leak, which has plagued the Zvezda service module for years. The module, primarily controlled by Russia, connects to a docking port used for cargo and supply spacecraft.
While initially a slow, steady leak, station operators recently noticed the leak had ceased. This development, however, has raised new fears. NASA officials are concerned that while previous efforts to seal exterior cracks might have been successful, a new leak could have developed *inside* the module, causing air from the rest of the ISS to be sucked into the affected area. The fear is that the entire station may be losing air.
The leak’s origins trace back to 2019, with the rate intensifying last year. Conflicting opinions between NASA and Roscosmos on the cause and severity of the problem have further complicated the situation, as a NASA advisory committee reported last November.
“The Russians believe that continued operations are safe – but they can’t prove that to our satisfaction,” said committee chair Bob Cabana. “And the US believes that it’s not safe, but we can’t prove that to the Russian satisfaction.”
Before the Ax-4 launch, NASA and Roscosmos lowered the pressure in a transfer tunnel to test the hatch seal, but the results remain unclear. Roscosmos has yet to comment publicly on the current state of the issue.
The Ax-4 mission carries four crewmembers: veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, now an Axiom Space employee, and spaceflight novices Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, each becoming the first from their respective countries to visit the ISS. They will spend approximately two weeks conducting around 60 science experiments.
It remains to be seen how the leak will affect broader ISS operations, including future crew rotation missions. SpaceX’s Crew-11 is currently scheduled to launch as early as July with astronauts from NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Roscosmos. These crews will spend six months aboard the ISS, which is typical for most missions.
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