Expedition 67 commander Oleg Artemyev received an order from the control center in Moscow to return to the station as soon as possible due to a malfunction in his space suit's battery
International Space Station Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev, both cosmonauts of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, completed their spacewalk yesterday at 13:54 EST (20:54 Israel time) after 4 hours and XNUMX minute, long before the scheduled date.
During the spacewalk, the two cosmonauts completed the installation of two cameras on the European robotic arm. Artemev's Orlan model spacesuit showed abnormal battery readings about two hours and 17 minutes after the start of extravehicular activity.
Mission control in Moscow ordered Artemyev to return to the Foysk airlock to connect to the space station's power supply because the power system in the space suit is essential for a long stay outside. Cosmonaut Sergei Korsakov, inside the station, placed the European robotic arm in a safe configuration, and Matveev returned safely to the Puysk airlock after completing some final cleaning activities outside the International Space Station. NASA says that the duo was never in any danger during the operations.
More spacewalks are now planned to continue equipping the European robotic arm and operating the Nauka airlock for future spacewalks. The European robotic arm will be used to assist in spacewalks and cargo placement on the outer side of the Russian module of the International Space Station.
It was the seventh spacewalk in Artemaev's career, and the third for Matayev. It was the seventh spacewalk on the station in 2022 and the 252nd spacewalk for space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades since it entered orbit.
