According to Interfax, citing a source in the rocket and space industry, one of the life support systems in the American segment of the International Space Station broke down.

“One of the systems responsible for processing water in the American segment malfunctioned. It was not possible for him to continue his work for several days.“, the publication quotes the source as saying.

The NASA representative at the Russian flight control center reported to “Interfax” that a malfunction occurred in the water purification unit (WPA) two days ago. This unit is a complex filter system that thoroughly cleans water from various “waste”, including condensate, water used for hygienic procedures and distilled water from urine.

NASA documents say the WPA system made it possible to obtain drinking water. However, a representative of the American space agency told Interfax: ” This unit is responsible for technical fluids, not drinking water. Work continues to restore the system. Not finished yet.”.

This is neither the first nor the last incident. In October 2020, a toilet on the Russian section of the ISS malfunctioned, and about a year later, a similar fate befell the toilet on the American section. Toilets also broke down earlier in the late zeros. Luckily there were two on the station, and the astronauts also have diapers. Other life support systems also failed: In January of this year, a fan controller in the CDRA carbon dioxide removal system failed on the Americas segment of the ISS, and in November 2015, a power supply channel failed on the Americas segment of the ISS. It took several months to repair.

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It was also said that the station “bags and containers placed for this purpose, but their supply is limited “. At NASA, it was expected that the faulty pump would work until the autumn. Now, the new pump is expected to be sent to the ISS as early as today with the Boeing Starliner, which will perform its first manned mission.