A section of the Russian-controlled International Space Station (ISS) has been leaking for several years, letting pressure and air escape. The leak has recently gotten worse, raising questions about both the crew’s safety and the orbiting laboratory’s long-term sustainability.

NASA and Roscosmos clash over the worsening ISS air leak, raising crew safety concerns and highlighting unresolved technical issues.

The station has been leaking air for five years, and NASA is concerned that this might indicate a potential failure in the structural integrity of the International Space Station.

The dispute is about a small yet persistent leak in the vestibule of the Zvezda service module called PrK, which separates a docking port from the rest of the module.