NASA postpones Jan. 8 spacewalk due to ‘medical concern’ with an astronaut
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NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 flight engineer Anne McClain is pictured near one of the International Space Station’s main solar panels during a May 1, 2025 spacewalk to upgrade the orbital outpost’s power generation system and relocate a communications antenna. | Credit: NASA
NASA has postponed a planned January 8 spacewalk outside the International Space Station due to a “medical issue” involving an unnamed crew member.
Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman were supposed to come out of International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday around 8:00 a.m. EST (1:00 p.m. GMT), kicking off an extravehicular activity (EVA) lasting approximately 6.5 hours. But that spacewalk was postponed.
“The agency is monitoring a medical issue involving a crew member that occurred Wednesday afternoon aboard the orbital complex,” NASA officials said in an emailed statement Wednesday (Jan. 7). “Due to medical confidentiality, it is not appropriate for NASA to share further details about the crew member. The situation is stable. NASA will share additional details later, including a new date for the next spacewalk.”
When the spacewalk occurs, it will be the first for Cardman and the tenth for Fincke, who will tie the record for most EVAs performed by a NASA astronaut.
Five American astronauts have completed 10 spacewalks to date: Bob Behnken, Stephen Bowen, Chris Cassidy, Michael Lopez-Alegria and Peggy Whitson. The world record is 16, held by cosmonaut Anatoly Solevyev.
The January 8 spacewalk was intended to prepare one of the ISS power channels for the future installation of a new solar array for deployment of the International Space Station, or iROSA to make it short.
“Once installed, the array will provide additional power to the orbiting laboratory, including critical support for its safe and controlled deorbit,” NASA officials wrote in a statement. spacewalk preview.
Fincke was designated “Crew Member 1” of the EVA and was required to wear a red-striped spacesuit, according to the preview. Cardman, “crew member 2”, had to wear an unmarked suit.
NASA also has another spacewalk planned this month, scheduled for January 15. During this EVA, two NASA astronauts, whose identities are not yet known, will venture outside the ISS to replace a high-definition camera and install “a new navigation aid to tour the spacecraft,” among other tasks, according to the spacewalk preview.
This month’s two spacewalks will be the first of 2026 and the 278th and 279th EVAs in the space station’s long history.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. ET on January 7 with news that the January 8 spacewalk was postponed due to a crew member’s medical issue.
