NASA postpones spacewalk because of debris notification

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - NASA delayed a planned spacewalk on Tuesday outside the International Space Station (ISS) because of threats from space debris.

Two NASA astronauts were scheduled to venture out of the station for a spacewalk to replace a faulty antenna system but the agency said it received a debris notification Monday evening.

"Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the spacewalk until more information is available," said NASA.

The antenna recently lost its ability to send signals to Earth via NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

"Although its degradation has had limited impact on station operations, mission managers decided to install a new antenna to ensure communications redundancy," the agency said.