NASA Postpones ISS Spacewalk Due to Crew Member's Medical Concern
NASA has delayed a scheduled spacewalk outside the International Space Station after a crew member developed a medical issue. The situation is stable, and a new date for the spacewalk will be announced later.
A planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed due to a medical concern involving one of the crew members, NASA announced on Wednesday. The spacewalk, originally scheduled for Thursday morning, was intended for astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman to spend six-and-a-half hours preparing for the installation of new roll-out solar arrays set to arrive later this year. These arrays are part of the final major upgrade to the station's electrical system before its decommissioning in 2030.
NASA reported that the medical issue arose on Wednesday afternoon and that officials will reschedule the spacewalk. The agency stated, "Due to medical privacy, it is not appropriate for NASA to share more details about the crew member. The situation is stable. NASA will share additional details, including a new date for the upcoming spacewalk, later."
This spacewalk was to be the first of two planned for this month. The second excursion, scheduled for next week, aims to complete a series of maintenance tasks outside the station. Fincke and Cardman are five months into their ISS expedition. This would have been Cardman's first spacewalk and the tenth for Fincke, tying him for the most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut.
NASA did not specify whether the medical issue pertains to Fincke, Cardman, or another crew member. The current seven-person ISS crew includes three U.S. astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts, and one Japanese astronaut, Kimiya Yui, who was assigned to oversee the suit-up of Fincke and Cardman ahead of the spacewalk.
The agency typically does not disclose details about astronauts' health, citing medical privacy. It is uncommon for a crew health concern to delay a major event like a spacewalk. In 2021, NASA postponed a spacewalk when astronaut Mark Vande Hei experienced a "minor medical issue," later revealed to be a pinched nerve. The spacewalk proceeded several weeks later with a different astronaut replacing Vande Hei.