The International Space Station has '50 areas of concern' and astronauts are being warned about safety

Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been warned of “top safety risk” after 50 “areas of concern” were discovered.

The first ISS module was launched on 20 November 1998 and has been in constant orbit ever since. The space station has been continuously occupied by astronauts since November 2000, including two who have been stranded there since June.

Now, those onboard the ISS have been issued safety precautions after the discovery of “areas of concern”.

The USA’s NASA and Russian counterpart Roscosmos have been aware of a leak onboard the vessel since 2019, and in a recent report, they revealed the leak poses a “'safety risk” to astronauts.

As well as the leak, there are four cracks and 50 additional areas of “concern” amid ongoing fixes.

Speaking to the Washington Post, NASA explained Roscosmos has used “a combination of sealant and patches” to cover up cracks and claimed internal risk assessments rated the fix a five out of five.

NASA associate administrator, Jim Free, explained: “We have conveyed the seriousness of the leaks multiple times, including when I was in Russia earlier this year.”

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The leak is causing air to leave the space station, with experts not 100 per cent sure where it is located. The space agencies have compromised with one another to seal off a small segment and to keep the hatch open during critical operations only.

When the hatch is open, NASA employees have been instructed to stay on the US side of the space station so they are in close proximity to their spacecraft in the case of an emergency evacuation.

According to Free, “the leakage rate has gone down” since the repairs were carried out.

“We’ve asked them [the astronauts] to minimize how long that hatch is open, and they are minimizing it,” Free said. “We’ve come to a compromise that they close it in the evening.”

Despite the concerning developments, NASA insists the ISS is safe for the 11 astronauts that remain onboard.

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