On December 31, 2021, the Russian National Aerospace Corporation News Agency issued an announcement stating that two Russian astronauts in orbit discovered the last leak in the service module of the International Space Station "Star" and are capable of repairing it. The necessary tools and equipment will be transported to the space station by the next "Progress" cargo spacecraft, after which the astronauts will proceed to finally repair the leak.
In September 2019, an air leak was discovered on the International Space Station.
The crew members of the space station confirmed and sealed the two cracks on the inner wall of the transition compartment of the "Xingchen" service module, but they still failed to completely eliminate the air leakage.
Experts have speculated that the air leak may be related to the impact of micrometeorites or space junk debris on the outer wall of the International Space Station. However, investigations by the Russian National Aerospace Corporation have shown that the air leak was deliberately done by an American astronaut in order to cause the accident so that it can be early Return to earth.