Astronauts Restore ISS Communication With Antenna Spacewalk

Two astronauts completed a critical spacewalk on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to replace a faulty Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT) on the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Anil Menon and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot installed a new antenna and relocated the damaged unit, restoring essential communication capabilities for the orbiting laboratory. The repair ensures a redundant communication link, vital for transmitting voice and critical data.

The spacewalk, which lasted 6.5 hours, began at 8:27 a.m. EDT (1227 GMT) and concluded at 2:57 p.m. EDT (1857 GMT). Menon, positioned at the end of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, and Adenot, who moved along handrails, first retrieved a spare SGANT from its external storage. They then maneuvered to the Z-1 truss, where the new antenna was mounted and connected to the station's power and data systems. Following the installation, they retrieved the faulty antenna, which had been temporarily stowed during a previous spacewalk on August 18, and moved it to a more permanent storage location on External Stowage Platform-3 (ESP-3).

Communication Redundancy Restored

The need for this repair arose in November 2025 when the original SGANT ceased functioning, unable to track NASA's data and relay satellites. While a backup antenna has been in continuous use since then, the successful replacement re-establishes a crucial layer of redundancy. This dual-antenna system provides a vital backup, ensuring uninterrupted communication even if one system experiences an issue.

The mission was met with cheers from Mission Control. Astronaut Anne McClain, speaking from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, humorously paraphrased the 1979 hit song "Video Killed the Radio Star," singing, "You just saved the video dish, you just saved the video dish." Menon responded with laughter and gratitude, stating, "I want to thank the entire team on executing this complex, time-critical operation successfully."

This was the 283rd spacewalk conducted in support of the ISS's assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. For Anil Menon, this marked his third extravehicular activity (EVA), bringing his total spacewalking time to 19 hours and 20 minutes. Sophie Adenot's second EVA brought her total time in space on these missions to 12 hours and 53 minutes. Adenot's previous spacewalk made her the first woman and fifth citizen of France to perform such an activity.

The August 25 EVA was the sixth spacewalk to occur from the ISS this year. It was the second EVA for the current Expedition 75 crew and the 98th spacewalk utilizing the U.S. extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) spacesuits. The successful completion of this spacewalk ensures the continued reliable operation of the ISS and its vital science experiments.