The American crew on the International Space Station (ISS) has been evacuated to the Russian section due to an issue with the cooling system, US space agency NASA said.
In a brief mission status update, NASA said the US crew was directed to isolate themselves in the Russian segment around 4 a.m. ET after an alarm sounded in the American portion, detecting an increase in pressure in the water loop for a thermal control system.
The agency said there is no firm evidence to suggest there is an ammonia leak, contrary to previous reports. Flight engineers are currently investigating the situation, but data suggests the issue is related to a sensor malfunction.
"It’s starting to look like a false indication, either a faulty sensor or computer relay,"NASA said in an update.
All six crew members, including three Russians, two Americans, and one Italian, are safe.
Following the alarms, the three NASA astronauts put on masks, opened the hatch to the unity module, and moved into the Russian segment.
All activities, including unloading the Dragon cargo ship that arrived on Monday, have been scrapped for the day.
NASA said the US crew is likely to remain in the Russian section for most of the day and there's plenty of food to go around.