NASA astronaut Anil Menon and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot conducted a spacewalk outside the ISS on Tuesday to complete repairs on a critical communications antenna.
The spacewalk is currently ongoing, with the pair expected to spend about 6 1/2 hours working in the vacuum of space to install a replacement Space-to-Ground Antenna, which helps carry high-speed data between the space station and NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston.
Menon and Adenot were outside the station just last week for more than six hours to remove the failed antenna and secure it to the station’s truss.
However, the work took longer than expected after the astronauts encountered difficulties disconnecting electrical cables and loosening bolts.
With time running short, they were unable to install the replacement antenna during that outing.
Tuesday’s spacewalk is Menon’s third and Adenot’s second. If completed as planned, it will be the 283rd spacewalk conducted in support of the space station’s construction, maintenance and upgrades.
The antenna repair is considered important to maintaining reliable communications between the astronauts aboard the station and teams on Earth.
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