Unexpected odour on ISS prompts swift safety measures and review

The Russian unmanned spacecraft Progress 90 delivered supplies to the Poisk module at the International Space Station a few days ago. This section is where Russian cosmonauts are usually stationed. After a successful docking, something was not right. According to NASA, "cosmonauts from Roscosmos smelled an unexpected odour and noticed small droplets of liquid."

Although details weren't disclosed, as NASA did not specify exactly what type of smell it was or its source, the situation raised enough concern that the Russian ISS crew closed the hatch.

The unexpected "incident" initially prevented the retrieval of supplies from the module. Subsequently, an air purification procedure and testing with onboard sensors began. "Space station air scrubbers and contaminant sensors monitored the station’s atmosphere following the observation, and on Sunday, flight controllers determined air quality inside the space station was at normal levels," informed NASA.

The crew attempted to reopen the hatch later that same day. It was confirmed that the Russian cosmonauts briefly donned protective suits for safety reasons. This information was conveyed by the portal RussianSpaceWeb, which monitored the communication between the Mission Control Center in Houston and the ISS space station. According to NASA, all other operations on the space station are proceeding according to plan. The American Space Agency stated that the most likely source of the unusual odour detected earlier was the outgassing from materials inside the pressurized cargo section of the Progress 90 spacecraft.

The International Space Station has been orbiting above us for over 25 years. It is currently the largest structure humans have built-in space. The first modules of the station were launched into Earth's orbit in 1998. It consists of 16 main modules and achieved its final shape in 2011 after a series of assembly flights, reaching a total mass of 408,000 kilograms. Since its inception, the ISS has absorbed $150 billion, most of which was funded by NASA. The annual operation of the station costs about $3 billion, with nearly half going towards maintenance and operations. A permanent crew has been working on it since 2000, and seven people are aboard. The main power source for the station is solar cells, and thanks to solar panels, it reflects so much light that the ISS is visible from Earth as an object moving across the sky.

According to the latest information provided by NASA, the ISS's future operation is under question. The agency intends to maintain the station's operational role until around 2030, as it expects that by then, American private space companies will have developed enough to carry out tasks in low Earth orbit that have so far been performed on the ISS.