The scheduled spacewalk of a US astronaut currently serving on the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday has been postponed owing to a minor medical issue, NASA announced on Monday.
“NASA announced the US spacewalk outside the International Space Station originally planned for Tuesday, August 24, with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide has been postponed due to a minor medical issue involving Vande Hei,” the agency said in a press release.
Vande Hei’s medical issue was not a medical emergency and the spacewalk was not time-sensitive, NASA said.
“Teams are assessing the next available opportunity to conduct the spacewalk following the SpaceX CRS-23 cargo resupply launch planned for August 28 and upcoming Russian spacewalks,” the release added.
The spacewalk was planned to install a support bracket in preparation for future installation of the ISS’s third new solar array, NASA explained.
