Astronauts are currently conducting a “spacewalk check” in orbit after a coolant leak canceled an excursion scheduled for Monday (June 24), NASA officials said in an update.
NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Mike Barratt aborted their spacewalk while still in the hatch of the International Space Station (ISS) because Dyson’s spacesuit was leaking coolant. Today (June 25), NASA said the crew is reviewing what to do next in consultation with mission control. “Barratt began troubleshooting Dyson’s spacesuit and checking suit components Tuesday morning,” NASA officials wrote in a brief update, the title of which mentioned a “spacewalk review.” “After that, [Barratt] participated in ongoing procedural reviews for future Dyson spacewalks along with fellow astronauts Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps.”
NASA’s next spacewalk is currently still scheduled for July 2, after Monday’s 31-minute excursion that was supposed to last 6.5 hours was canceled. What happens next will be determined by the investigation, which is still ongoing. After previous coolant leaks in orbit, spacewalks have sometimes been suspended for months.
The ISS crew reported “literally water everywhere” in the hatch and a “blizzard” of ice flakes that could be seen directly outside, but everyone took care of the situation within seconds. The astronauts were never in danger, NASA officials repeatedly emphasized during the live broadcast on NASA Television.
Investigating the cause may take some time. Yesterday’s broadcast featured astronauts taking photos of the two spacesuits, including the Maintenance and Cooling Unit (SCU) on Dyson’s suit, where the water appeared to be leaking. The SCU is designed to be connected to the ISS airlock while astronauts in the hatch prepare for the final steps of undocking for EVA.
Coolant leaks have occurred several times in recent years. In March 2022, for example, NASA suspended its spacewalks for seven months after water was found in a spacesuit helmet.
An even more serious incident occurred in 2013, when Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet filled with water during an extravehicular activity (EVA), requiring a quick return to the hatch. A subsequent NASA investigation report suggested several mitigations to prevent a recurrence, which agency officials began implementing on future spacewalks.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft was scheduled to depart the ISS sometime after July 2, completing its first mission with astronauts that launched on June 5, in part due to the spacewalk scheduled for that day. However, Starliner will remain docked until its engine systems and helium supply are checked and tested after problems were discovered on June 6 that delayed its arrival at the ISS. NASA Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams participated in those tests and are currently busy with other maintenance duties on the ISS, according to NASA’s update Tuesday.
Starliner’s roughly 10-day mission to the ISS is now nearly three weeks long, although both Boeing and NASA stress that development missions often face unexpected delays due to the unforeseen. One reason for the mission extension is to observe the behavior of the service module, as this part (which carries most of the fuel and power) will detach upon landing.
According to previous comments from Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew manager, the spacecraft is technically designed to stay on the station for 45 days. NASA has promised a full update on Starliner in the near future. However, the Starliner crew can still deorbit if necessary; NASA stresses that the spacecraft is designed for a rapid departure if an emergency occurs on the ISS that requires an evacuation.