ISS told to be evacuated immediately as astronauts could DIE amid major 'safety risk'

"Leaving it too late could lead to a disaster that would kill not only the astronauts, but also NASA's reputation," he told the Daily Mail.

The warning comes as Nasa revealed it is tracking 50 "areas of concern" related to the leak on the Russian side of the ISS. The space agency has now promoted the issue to a "top safety risk".

The leak was first detected in 2019 in the Russian Zvezda Service Module Transfer Tunnel. Despite attempts to seal potential cracks, the leak has grown faster in recent years.

In February, NASA held a press conference as air loss increased from 0.2 lbs to 2.4 lbs per day.

By April, the leak hit record rates, losing 3.7 lbs of air daily.

Nasa has instructed astronauts to remain on the American side of the station when the hatch to the leaky section is open. They must stay near the escape hatch in case of emergency evacuation.

The space agency insists its astronauts will remain aboard, despite growing safety concerns.

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Pope warns that Nasa is in a "tight spot". Evacuating too soon could make Nasa look like a declining force compared to Elon Musk, but delaying could lead to disaster.

The situation is complicated by Nasa's lack of contingency plans for damaged escape vehicles. The agency admits it's not sufficiently prepared for capsule failures.

In case of an emergency, astronauts would need to board their assigned 'lifeboats'. However, the ISS is vulnerable to impacts from micrometeorites or space debris.

Nasa acknowledges that such an impact could cause "serious damage or catastrophic failure, and can be a threat to astronauts". Despite this, the agency won't provide additional shielding due to costs.

Not all experts share Pope's dire assessment. Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist at The Open University, told the publication: "Although this is seen as a high priority issue to resolve, it is not putting astronauts in immediate danger."

By closing the hatch to Zvezda, the leak can be contained regardless of its speed.

"The problem is that if the leak gets too bad, they might have to leave the hatch permanently closed, meaning the docking ports beyond the hatch can’t be used," Barber said.

If the leak worsens significantly, it could lead to the early decommissioning of the ISS - which has already remained in orbit for 10 years longer than originally intended.

Independent spaceflight safety expert Laura Forczyk said: "If the leaks on the ISS worsen significantly to the point where NASA and Russia conclude the situation is unsafe, it may mean decommissioning the ISS sooner than expected."

Nasa maintains the station remains safe and is working with Roscosmos to resolve the issue promptly.

A spokesperson told the publication: "'Nasa and Roscosmos continue to evaluate onboard and ground test data with the primary goal of identifying the root cause, gaining a better understanding of the risk to station operations, and implementing repairs."