NASA astronaut Anil Menon and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot installed the replacement for the International Space Station's failed Space-to-Ground antenna during a 6-hour, 30-minute spacewalk. Initial power and data checks were good, but overnight ground testing means full functionality was not yet the final result.
Menon and Adenot had removed the failed antenna during an Aug. 18 spacewalk but ran out of time to fit the spare. On Aug. 25 they installed and connected the replacement on the Z-1 truss, then secured the old unit permanently on a spare-parts platform attached to the station's truss. The outing lasted exactly 6 hours and 30 minutes.[1], [2]
The antenna carries high-speed data between the International Space Station and NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston. When the previous unit stopped tracking relay satellites in November, the station continued communicating through one antenna but lost redundancy. The swap was intended to restore that second communications path rather than add a new mission to the working link.[1], [2]
The replacement showed good power and data transmission in its first checkout. NASA said flight controllers would continue testing it overnight. That sequence establishes a successful installation and first connection while keeping full antenna functionality as a separate verification step. Restoring communications redundancy therefore depends not only on seating the antenna but also on successful completion of the ground tests.[2]
