ISS spacewalk removes failed antenna, replacement delayed after time runs out

Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot removed a failed ISS antenna during a six-hour spacewalk. The delayed replacement means NASA will finish the communications upgrade on a future sortie.Image used for representational purposes onlyAstronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot removed a failed space-to-ground antenna from the International Space Station during a spacewalk, but ran out of time to install its replacement. NASA said the remaining installation work will now be taken up during a future spacewalk.The spacewalk lasted six hours and 23 minutes after beginning at 8.29 am EDT. It was Menon’s second spacewalk and Adenot’s first. Adenot, an astronaut with the European Space Agency, also became the first French woman to undertake a spacewalk.The astronauts had two main tasks: removing the failed antenna and installing a replacement. They faced delays while removing tight power and data connectors, installing locking pins in the antenna’s gimbal assembly, and unbolting it from its boom. They were seen putting in extra effort with a ratchet wrench as they removed the antenna from the boom. Mission control then decided there was not enough time to move the failed antenna to its permanent storage location or retrieve and install the spare antenna. “The installation work is expected to be completed during a future spacewalk,” NASA said in a statement. Near the end of the spacewalk, the crew also carried out clean-up work, along with an inspection and swap of a portable foot restraint near the Quest airlock of the ISS.“We got into this with the mindset that we wanted everything to go perfectly,” Menon said as the spacewalk came to an end. “Things were a lot different than expected, but what I would say that I am really impressed with is that all of those contingencies were well thought out,” he said. The antenna is a critical link used by NASA to transmit data and enable high-speed communications between Mission Control in Houston and the space station. NASA said the station continues to operate with a fully functional space-to-ground antenna that provides high-data-rate communications with its Tracking Data and Relay Satellites and control centres around the world, including the Mission Control Center in Houston. This was the 282nd spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. Earlier this month, Menon and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir spent six hours and 27 minutes outside the station preparing part of its power system for the future installation of another roll-out solar array. NASA said the work is part of essential maintenance needed to keep the station operational as it approaches its third decade of continuous human habitation. The August 18 spacewalk had originally been scheduled for August 13, but was delayed after a carbon dioxide sensor on Menon’s spacesuit gave “an unexpected data reading” after the August 6 spacewalk. Mission planners are now expected to discuss the forward plan for the remaining work, with the next spacewalk currently planned for August 25.With PTI Inputs - EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 19, 2026 07:40 IST