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Anil Menon set for third ISS spacewalk Aug. 25
Menon earlier conducted spacewalks on Aug. 6 and Aug.18.
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 21, Aug 2026
- 00:42 EDT
- 24
ANIL MENON / NASA
NASA astronaut Anil Menon will undertake his third spacewalk on Aug. 25 to finish replacing a high-speed communication antenna on the International Space Station.
The Expedition 75 crew spent Thursday prepping for the spacewalk and conducting research.
ALSO READ: Anil Menon gives glimpse of growing, cooking food in space
“On Tuesday, Aug. 25, NASA flight engineer Anil Menon and ESA (European Space Agency) flight engineer Sophie Adenot will conduct a spacewalk to finish replacing the space‑to‑ground antenna on the International Space Station,” NASA said in a statement.
The pair began the work on Aug. 18
Menon will ride the Canadarm2 robotic arm to retrieve a spare antenna that Adenot will release from an external platform. Together, they will install the antenna on the Z1 truss segment above the station’s Unity module. The astronauts will then make the precise electrical and data connections needed to activate the spare antenna for high‑speed transmissions with mission control.
If time allows, Menon and Adenot will attempt a get‑ahead task to replace a retroreflector on the forward port of the Harmony module, which improves navigation data for visiting spacecraft. Menon will serve as spacewalk crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Adenot will serve as crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit.
NASA is also planning a fourth spacewalk on Tuesday, Sept 1, to connect power channel cables and data relay systems as part of ongoing maintenance. However, the replacement of the retroreflector would become the primary task if it is not completed on Aug. 25. The agency will make a decision on whether the early September spacewalk is needed following installation of the space-to-ground antenna.
Astronauts Anil Menon of @NASA and Sophie Adenot of @ESA will go on a spacewalk Tuesday, Aug.25, to finish replacing a space-to-ground antenna. The Exp 75 crew spent Thursday prepping for the spacewalk and conducting research. More... https://t.co/9cru6rep6Z pic.twitter.com/4XZMpzQjAy
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) August 20, 2026
Inside the station on Thursday (Aug. 20), Adenot and Menon were joined by station commander Jessica Meir and flight engineer Jack Hathaway, both NASA astronauts, for spacewalk procedure reviews throughout the day. Meir and Hathaway will help the spacewalkers in and out of their spacesuits next week. Meir will also monitor the spacewalkers and assist Hathaway as he operates the Canadarm2 with Menon attached. The four astronauts also called down to mission controllers at the end of their shift on Thursday to discuss spacewalk procedures and robotics operations.
The astronauts still had time for research and lab maintenance on Thursday. Meir participated in a relaxation study to help reduce stress and improve sleep during a long-duration space mission. Hathaway photographed 3D colloidal crystal samples growing for a space manufacturing investigation. Menon and Adenot spent their extra time on light maintenance duties servicing life support and communications systems. Menon earlier conducted spacewalks on Aug 6 and 18.
Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis to Ukrainian and Indian immigrant parents.
Menon was selected by NASA to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class. He reported for duty in January 2022. Menon was SpaceX’s first flight surgeon, helping to launch its first humans into space during the Demo-2 mission and building a medical organization to support human spaceflight during future missions. Prior to that, he served NASA as the crew flight surgeon for various expeditions aboard the International Space Station.
Menon is an actively practicing emergency medicine physician with fellowship training in wilderness medicine. As a physician, he was a first responder during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the 2015 earthquake in Nepal and the 2011 Reno Air Races crash.
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