Update for 1 p.m. EDT: Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev suffered a spacesuit problem during today’s spacewalk in front of the International Space Station and is currently safely back in the Poisk airlock with his suit connected to the station’s power supply, NASA says. Artemyev was never in danger, but his space suit suffers from tension problems. Russian air traffic controllers are weighing whether to continue today’s spacewalk. Read live updates here.
Two Russian cosmonauts will launch Europe’s robotic arm on a spacewalk today (17 August), and you can follow their activities for free.
Expedition 67 commander Oleg Artemyev and flight engineer Denis Matveev are scheduled to begin their 6.5-hour spacewalk on the International Space Station at around 9:20 a.m. EDT (1320 GMT), according to NASA (opens in new tab).
Coverage of the spacewalk is expected to begin around 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT). You can watch live here on Space.com using the link above, on NASA’s YouTube (opens in new tab) channel or directly on NASA’s website (opens in new tab).
Spacewalks by Roscosmos, Russia’s federal space agency, are usually conducted in Russian. However, live English translation is usually available in real time while the cosmonauts conduct their activities.
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The cosmonauts plan to install cameras on the arm, move an external control panel, and remove launch restrictions near the arm’s “hands” (end effectors), according to NASA. The duo will also “test an arm stiffening mechanism used to make it easier to grip payloads,” the agency explained.
This gripping ability will be crucial as the European robotic arm moves around payloads and equipment outside of the Russian segment of the ISS. Once operational, the new arm will join the Canadian-built Canadarm2 robotic arm and Japanese arm, which already support the station’s maintenance, operations and research.
Artemyev wears a Russian Orlan space suit with red stripes while Matveev wears a Russian Orlan suit with blue stripes. This will be Artemyev’s seventh spacewalk and Matveev’s third, NASA said.
Wednesday’s spacewalk will also be the seventh EVA on the ISS in 2022 and the 252nd to support assembly and maintenance since 1998, based on previous spacewalks.
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