19/08/2026
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ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon efficiently accomplished US EVA-97 at 20:52 CEST on Tuesday 18 August. It was Sophie’s first spacewalk, and the primary spacewalk performed by a French lady.
Through the 6-hour, 23-minute spacewalk, Sophie and Anil accomplished the elimination of the Area-To-Floor antenna 2 (SGANT-2). This antenna had been unable to trace the Monitoring and Information Relay Satellite tv for pc (TDRS) constellation used to relay communications and information between the Station and floor controllers since November 2025. Caught bolts and connectors on the failed antenna delayed the duo’s work, stopping them from putting in the spare antenna as deliberate.
Sophie and Anil switched their swimsuit to battery energy at 14:29 CEST, formally starting the deliberate six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, earlier than exiting the Quest airlock into the vacuum of house.
Anil first retrieved a foot restraint and put in it on the Canadarm 2, which was operated from contained in the Station by NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway. The robotic arm then transported Anil to the worksite, whereas Sophie translated there independently and commenced eradicating a warmth protect from the failed antenna.
Working collectively, Sophie and Anil put in gimbal locks to forestall the antenna from rotating throughout transport, eliminated bolts and disconnected a sequence {of electrical} connections in preparation for eradicating the failed antenna from its increase meeting. The astronauts encountered a number of caught bolts and connectors, requiring further time and coordinated effort to free them.
In consequence, Mission Management revised the spacewalk goals and as a substitute of transporting the failed antenna to a stowage platform, the crew carried out a long-duration tie-down on the Station truss construction. Set up of the spare antenna was deferred to a future spacewalk.
As soon as the failed antenna was tied down securely, Sophie and Anil cleaned up the work websites earlier than ingressing the Station.
This was the 282nd spacewalk in assist of house station meeting, upkeep, and upgrades. One other spacewalk is scheduled on August 25, the third this month, and the fifth of the εpsilon mission.
