NASA canceled a spacewalk on the International Space Station today (June 24) after a spacesuit coolant leak in the hatch.
NASA astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Mike Barratt were told by Mission Control at 8:52 a.m. EDT (1252 GMT) to abort their planned 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS ). The pair had already switched to internal power in their suits at 8:46 a.m. (1246 GMT), meaning the spacewalk had technically begun. After the cancellation, the astronauts opened the hatch on the ISS at 9:51 a.m. EDT (1351 GMT), officially ending the spacewalk.
While broadcasting live on a NASA television, they had reported “literally water everywhere” as they moved their suits on internal power to prepare for the activity outside the vehicle. The leak appeared to be coming from a service and cooling umbilical (SCU) in Dyson’s suit, she reported. While the situation was dire, the astronauts were not in any danger from the leak.
NASA released a brief official statement following the cancellation, adding that additional information will follow on the agency’s ISS blog. They made the call to cancel because it was unclear how much water was left in Dyson’s suit after the leak, as a precaution, officials added on NASA television.
“I could see the ice crystals were flowing in there, and then, just like a snow machine, ice formed on that port in the SCU,” Dyson told Mission Control. The SCU is designed to attach to the ISS airlock as the astronauts are in the hatch preparing for the final stages of detachment for the EVA. They were still in the hatch when the leak occurred, with the outer door open, but closed it moments after the spacewalk ceased. “It was a pretty impressive snowstorm,” astronaut Butch Wilmore said during NASA’s live broadcast.
This is the second time this particular spacewalk has been postponed, following a June 13 attempt with a different set of astronauts (Matt Dominick and Tracy Dyson) that was postponed due to a “spacesuit concern” issue with Matt Dominick. A July 2 spacewalk is also supposed to happen, but it’s unclear if that will go ahead under the circumstances.
The total length of the spacewalk was 31 minutes, based on the time that elapsed between switching the suits to internal power and depressing the crew’s airlock. This brings Tracy Dyson’s total EVA time to 23 hours and 20 minutes in four spacewalks, and Mike Barratt’s total time to 5 hours and 37 minutes in three EVAs.
Connected: NASA cancels International Space Station spacewalk due to ‘spacesuit discomfort’
The spacewalk had run slightly behind its expected start at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) due to some minor problems with connections and other issues, but that was within normal range until the pair reported that ice (water) crystals they came from the space suit.
“Today’s spacewalk has been canceled due to a spacesuit cooling unit water leak that started shortly after the suits were placed on the internal battery,” a spokesperson said on NASA television shortly after the spacewalk was canceled. “The crew is now going back to the airlock and closing the … hatch, then they will begin the pressurization process.”
Conditions were cool inside the hood at press time. “It’s a little snowy here, but not as bad as it was … I still have ice on my gloves and a little on my helmet,” Dyson said.
Dyson later added that she would stick with the spacesuit battery, as she was concerned about water leaks affecting the umbilical connectors on the ISS. Mission Control told her there probably wouldn’t be any problems, but said she could stay on battery power if she wanted.
The spacewalk was supposed to receive errant communications equipment, called a radio frequency array, and Dyson was expected to sweep the exterior of the ISS to collect evidence of microorganisms in extreme microgravity environments.
Monday’s EVA was supposed to be the first of two future spacewalks geared toward ongoing science and maintenance of the orbital laboratory. (NASA originally planned three, but now plans to do just two after the June 13 attempt.)
Coolant leaks have plagued planned spacewalks several times in recent years. In March 2022, water was found in an astronaut’s helmet after an EVA, causing a seven-month pause in spacewalks. And in 2013, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s helmet filled horribly with water during an EVA.
This story was updated at 10:29 a.m. EDT with information about the water capacity of Dyson’s suit.