Two Astronauts Finish Replacing the Space Station's High-Speed Antenna

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot installed a replacement high-speed antenna on the outside of the International Space Station on Aug. 25, finishing a repair the pair had begun a week earlier. NASA said the spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 30 minutes and ended at 2:57 p.m. EDT.

The hardware is a spare Space-to-Ground antenna, which NASA describes as a critical link carrying high-speed data between the station and Mission Control in Houston. After installing and connecting it, the two secured the failed unit to a spare-parts platform on the station's truss structure. That unit had been removed and temporarily stowed during their Aug. 18 spacewalk, which NASA records as 6 hours and 23 minutes long.

Initial checkouts of the new antenna showed good power and data transmission, according to NASA, and flight controllers were to keep testing it overnight to confirm full functionality. The agency has not reported the result of that testing.

NASA logs the outing as U.S. spacewalk 98, Menon's third and Adenot's second, and as the 283rd spacewalk in support of station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. The pair started at 8:27 a.m. EDT, with Menon riding the Canadarm2 robotic arm out to the worksite. NASA identified Menon as crew member 1, in the suit with red stripes, and Adenot as crew member 2, in the unmarked suit. Both are aboard the station with Expedition 75.