Anil Menon, Sophie Adenot Complete ISS Spacewalk to Install Communications Antenna

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot have successfully completed a six-hour-30-minute spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS), installing and connecting a replacement Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT) to restore an important high-speed communications link between the orbital laboratory and mission control in Houston. The spacewalk ended at 2:57 p.m. EDT on August 25 and marked the 283rd spacewalk conducted in support of ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades. It was Menon’s third career spacewalk and Adenot’s second. Initial checks showed good power and data transmission, with flight controllers continuing tests to confirm full functionality.

The successful operation completed a repair that began on August 18, when the pair ventured outside the station to replace a failed SGANT-2. That antenna had been unable to track NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) constellation since November 2025, making it unusable for its intended high-speed communications role. During the earlier six-hour-23-minute spacewalk, Menon and Adenot removed the failed unit but encountered stubborn bolts and electrical connectors that consumed more time than planned. They therefore secured the antenna to the station’s truss and postponed installation of the spare.

For the follow-up EVA, Menon installed a foot restraint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm, operated from inside the ISS by NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway. Menon then rode the arm to External Platform 3 to retrieve the replacement antenna, which had been stored there since 2009. Adenot travelled independently along the station’s exterior to the worksite. Together, they transported the antenna to the Z1 truss above the Unity module, secured it to the boom and completed the electrical and data connections needed for high-speed transmissions.

The astronauts also moved the failed antenna from its temporary position to a spare-parts platform on the station’s truss, completing the two-stage replacement. The restored antenna is important because the SGANT system provides a high-speed communications pathway between the ISS and Houston, supporting the transfer of operational, scientific and other data. The repair also restores communications redundancy, giving the station greater resilience if another communications component fails.

The mission carries particular significance for Sophie Adenot. Her August 18 EVA made her the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk, and Tuesday’s operation was her second. ESA said the latest outing was the 32nd spacewalk conducted by a European astronaut.

For Anil Menon, the repair adds to a rapidly growing spacewalk record. He completed his first EVA on August 6 with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and has now conducted three spacewalks during his current ISS mission. Menon arrived at the station on July 14 aboard Soyuz MS-29, while Adenot reached the orbital laboratory in February aboard SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission.

The operation also underscored the international and highly coordinated nature of ISS maintenance. Jessica Meir, the station commander, monitored the spacewalkers and worked with Hathaway on spacesuit and robotic-arm operations. The successful antenna replacement demonstrates how astronauts, robotic systems and ground controllers work together to maintain an orbital laboratory that has been continuously inhabited since November 2000.