Astronauts remove faulty ISS antenna during spacewalk; out of time to install spare

Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot removed a failed space-to-ground antenna from the International Space Station during a six-hour-23-minute spacewalk but could not install its replacement due to delays. NASA said the installation will be completed during a future spacewalk, planned for August 25

Washington: Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot ran out of time to replace the space-to-ground antenna of the International Space Station (ISS) during a spacewalk, with the task now set for a future date.

The two astronauts managed to remove the failed antenna and stow it away in their six-hour-23-minute space walk that began at 8.29 am EDT.

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This spacewalk will be the second for Menon, who traces his origins to Kerala in India, and the first for Adenot.

Adenot, an astronaut with the European Space Agency, became the first French woman to undertake a spacewalk.

The astronauts had twin tasks – remove the failed antenna and install a replacement. However, they ran into delays in removing the tight power and data connectors, installing locking pins in the antenna’s gimbal assembly and unbolting it from its boom.

The astronauts were seen putting in extra effort with the ratchet wrench as they removed the antenna from its boom.

The mission control decided there wasn’t enough time for the astronauts to move the failed antenna to its permanent storage location or to retrieve the spare antenna and install it.

“The installation work is expected to be completed during a future spacewalk,” NASA said in a statement.

It said near the end of the spacewalk, the crew also performed cleanup tasks and 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,” said Menon 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,” Menon said.

The antenna is a critical link NASA uses to transmit data, enabling high-speed communications between the Mission Control Centre in Houston and the space station.

The space station continues to operate with a fully functional Space-to-Ground antenna, which provides high-data rate communications with NASA’s Tracking Data and Relay Satellites and control centres across the world, including the agency’s Mission Control Center in Houston.

This spacewalk was the 282nd 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.

The operation forms part of essential maintenance work required to keep the station operational as it approaches its third decade of continuous human habitation.

The spacewalk of August 18 was originally scheduled for August 13, but had to be delayed. The decision to put it off was taken after a carbon dioxide sensor on Menon’s spacesuit gave “an unexpected data reading” after the August 6 spacewalk.

On the ground, mission planners will discuss the forward plan for the work scheduled to be completed during the next spacewalk, which is currently planned for August 25.