NASA Announces Spacewalk Crew to Repair ISS Robotic Arm on June 30
NASA announced on June 23 that astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir will conduct a spacewalk on June 30 to replace a malfunctioning wrist joint on the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 7:35 a.m. EDT and will last approximately six hours and 40 minutes.
Canadarm2: The Station's Essential Robotic Arm
Canadarm2, built by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is one of the International Space Station's most critical external systems. The 17-meter-long robotic arm has been operational since 2001, performing tasks ranging from capturing visiting spacecraft to relocating equipment and assisting astronauts during spacewalks.
Earlier this year, ground engineers identified a fault in one of Canadarm2's wrist joints. After a joint analysis, NASA and CSA determined that a spacewalk was necessary to replace the component with a spare already stored on the station.
The Crew
Williams and Meir are experienced spacewalk partners. On March 18, 2026, the pair completed a seven-hour, two-minute spacewalk to install a solar array modification kit on the station's exterior.
On June 23, Williams tried on and tested his spacesuit in its powered configuration inside the Quest airlock, with assistance from European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot. The duo checked the suit's comfort, mobility, communications, and life support systems while ground engineers monitored remotely. Williams and Meir then reviewed 3D interactive animations of the repair procedures and serviced emergency jet packs that will be installed on their suits on the day of the spacewalk.
Support Operations
During the spacewalk, Adenot and NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway will monitor the operation from inside the station, carefully positioning Canadarm2 during the repair work. Hathaway also completed CubeSat maintenance tasks on June 23, installing a set of university-designed small satellites in the NanoRacks deployer inside the Kibo laboratory module's airlock.
NASA and CSA officials will preview the spacewalk during a news conference at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 25, streamed on NASA's YouTube channel.