Astronauts repairing air leak on International Space Station

Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Astronauts are working to repair an air leak discovered on the International Space Station.

The leak -- which NASA characterized as "tiny" in a mission update -- was discovered Wednesday night inside the Russian module.

Sensors alerted flight controllers to a small loss of cabin pressure overnight, as the Expedition 56 crew slept. Because the crew nor space station were in immediate danger, flight controllers decided not to wake the six space station crew members.

"Overnight and in the morning there was an abnormal situation -- a pressure drop, an oxygen leak at the station," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin told Sky News.

In the morning, the crew was told of the leak and instructed on how to fix it.

"A micro fracture was found, most likely it is damage from the outside. The design engineers believe it is the result of a micrometeorite," Rogozin told Sky News.

Astronauts applied Kapton tape to the leak site, effectively slowing the air leak.

"Flight controllers are working with the crew to develop a more comprehensive long-term repair," according to NASA.

Both NASA and ESA issued statements confirming the safety of space station crew members.

"The crew are healthy and safe with weeks of air left in the International Space Station reserves," ESA wrote in an update.