NASA and ESA astronauts to replace key ISS communications antenna

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot are set to venture outside the International Space Station on Tuesday to replace a critical Space-to-Ground communications antenna, performing routine maintenance on the orbiting laboratory that has been continuously inhabited for more than 25 years. The spacewalk, designated US Spacewalk 97, is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:35 am EDT (1235GMT) from the Quest airlock.

The astronauts are expected to spend roughly six and a half hours working along the station's Z1 truss to remove the failed unit and install a spare, according to NASA. Their primary task involves swapping the malfunctioning antenna that facilitates high-speed data and voice communications between the station and mission controllers in Houston.

Historic milestone for ESA

For Adenot, Tuesday's operation will mark her first spacewalk, making her the first French woman to perform such a mission and only the second European woman to do so after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti in 2022. Menon will be undertaking his second spacewalk in less than two weeks, having previously spent 6 hours and 27 minutes outside the station on August 6 alongside NASA astronaut Jessica Meir to prepare part of the power system for future solar array installation.

Station communications

The antenna provides a high-speed communications link between the station and NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston, enabling the transmission of data and voice communications between Earth and the orbiting laboratory. The operation forms part of essential maintenance work required to keep the station operational as it approaches its third decade of continuous human habitation.