Russia not planning to mothball ISS Zvezda module unit because of air leak - Roscosmos CEO

MOSCOW. Oct 29 (Interfax) - The transfer compartment of the Zvezda module on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), where atmospheric leaks were previously detected, will not be mothballed, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov said.

"No, that's complete nonsense," Bakanov said in reply to a question from Interfax.

"We haven't mothballed anything, and we're continuing to operate as before," Bakanov said.

Some media outlets reported earlier that Roscosmos and NASA had agreed to mothball the transfer compartment of the Zvezda module due to a persistent air leak, which crews have been trying to plug since 2020.

Cosmonauts had found the first 4-centimeter crack and sealed it with temporary means in October 2020. This slowed down the drop in pressure at the ISS, but the leak remained.

Roscosmos said on June 5, 2026 that cosmonauts detected two potential locations of air leaks in the transfer compartment of the Zvezda module. One leak was quickly sealed, and the cosmonauts began preparations for sealing the other, it said. NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said later that Roscosmos suspended air leak repairs in the ISS' Russian segment for additional measurements and data analysis.