NASA says two astronauts will conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, June 30, to replace a wrist joint on the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.
The spacewalk, known as U.S. spacewalk 95, is scheduled to begin at about 8:35 a.m. EDT and is expected to last roughly six-and-a-half hours, according to the agency.
NASA said the wrist joint malfunctioned during normal Canadarm2 operations on May 27, when the arm drew elevated motor current and did not move as expected. The agency said it worked with the Canadian Space Agency to understand the issue and determined a spacewalk was required to replace the joint, using a spare already on board the space station.
The spacewalk will be carried out by NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir, exiting from the station’s Quest airlock. NASA said it will be the second spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Meir.
NASA said the June 30 activity will be the 280th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. The agency added that repairs to robotics such as Canadarm2 are expected after more than 25 years of continuous operations, noting the system was designed with replaceable components and planned maintenance.
