[NASA] ISS Spacewalk June 30: Astronauts Replace Canadarm2 Wrist Joint in Orbital Robotic Surgery

[GlassyCandle]

NASA has scheduled a spacewalk for Tuesday June 30 beginning at approximately 8:35 am EDT during which astronauts aboard the International Space Station will replace a wrist joint on Canadarm2, the 17-metre robotic arm that has been an integral part of ISS operations since 2001. The Canadarm2 has been used for cargo capture, spacewalker assistance, external inspection and station maintenance for over two decades. A wrist joint replacement is a precision repair task requiring the astronauts to work on live robotic hardware that remains operational on other joints while the affected joint is replaced.

The repair follows the ISS receiving scientific research samples and hardware via SpaceX Dragon in mid-June, and precedes NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's planned June 30 virtual conversation about updates to NASA's Moon Base architecture. The simultaneous announcements about the ISS maintenance and the Moon Base planning reflect the parallel operational tracks NASA is managing: maintaining existing infrastructure while designing next-generation systems.

The Canadarm2 wrist repair is a routine maintenance milestone for a piece of hardware that is now 25 years old and has accumulated extensive operational use. The arm's longevity is a testament to its original design and the maintenance programme that has kept it operational, but it also highlights the challenge of sustaining ageing orbital infrastructure while the agency's attention and budget shifts toward lunar return. NASA is contracting with commercial providers for the next-generation space station that will succeed the ISS when it is deorbited, currently planned for 2030, and the lessons from Canadarm2's maintenance history are directly informing robotic arm specifications for those future platforms.

2026 News Releases - NASAwww.nasa.gov