NASA reveals why it called off its first spacewalk in eight months
It’s the first of two spacewalks planned for this month.
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman in her pressurized spacesuit, checking its communication and power systems ahead of her first spacewalk.
NASA
NASA has spent the last few weeks getting ready for two spacewalks at the International Space Station (ISS), its first in eight months.
But just hours before NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman were due to begin the first of the two walks on Thursday, NASA announced it was postponing the event due to a “medical concern with a crew member that arose Wednesday afternoon aboard the orbital complex.”
The U.S. space agency declined to offer any more information about the postponement, including which of the two astronauts was affected.
Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member,” NASA said, adding that “the situation is stable,” and that it will share additional details, including a new date for the upcoming spacewalk, later on.
Fincke and Cardman were on track to begin their spacewalk at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday. When it eventually takes place, it’ll be the 10th for Fincke over a long space career, and the first for Cardman, who arrived in orbit for the first time in August 2025.
During their upcoming spacewalk, the pair’s main task will be to install a modification kit and routing cables for a future roll-out solar array. Other tasks will include the installation of jumper cables, taking hardware photos, and collecting microorganism samples.
It’s not clear if the postponement will affect the timing of the second spacewalk, which is currently set for January 15. NASA has yet to share the names of the two astronauts who will take part in the second spacewalk.
Whenever the spacewalks take place, NASA will livestream both events on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.
The streams will closely follow the astronauts as they work outside the space station some 250 miles above Earth. You can also listen in on the astronauts’ communications with Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. A NASA official will also provide a live commentary explaining what’s happening at any given time.
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