In September, NASA’s inspector general issued a warning that new cracks and leaks in the Russian segment of the aging International Space Station (ISS) continue to pose a major safety risk. The leaks, which have affected a module connecting the segment’s docking port to its service module for years, have forced astronauts to keep the hatch closed for most of the time, according to SpaceNews.

Despite former astronaut and current head of NASA’s ISS Advisory Committee, Bob Cabana, stating that the leaks could potentially lead to a “catastrophic failure,” Russian officials have downplayed the severity of the situation. Cabana mentioned during a meeting that, while the Russians believe continued operations are safe, they cannot provide sufficient proof to reassure the U.S., and the U.S. believes it is unsafe but cannot convince the Russians of that either.

The cause of the leaks has also been a point of disagreement. Russian engineers attribute the issue to “high cyclic fatigue” caused by micro-vibrations, while NASA believes that other factors, such as mechanical stresses, are contributing to the degradation of the module’s material.

While Cabana has emphasized the seriousness of the leaks, some NASA officials, such as Kathryn Hambleton, told The Washington Post that the situation is less alarming. Hambleton noted that Roscosmos had applied sealant to several areas, which helped reduce the leak rate. However, Roscosmos has identified 50 “areas of concern,” indicating the extent of the problem.

This ongoing issue highlights the aging state of the space station, which has been continuously inhabited for over 24 years. As NASA astronaut Michael Barratt put it, “The station is not young. It’s been up there for quite a while. You expect some wear and tear, and we’re seeing that.”