Updated

Updated · Space.com · Jun 12

NASA Sets June 30 Spacewalk to Replace Canadarm2 Wrist Joint on 25-Year-Old ISS Arm

Updated

Updated · Space.com · Jun 12

NASA Sets June 30 Spacewalk to Replace Canadarm2 Wrist Joint on 25-Year-Old ISS Arm

Q: Beyond this single joint, what is the long-term plan for maintaining the aging Canadarm2 until the ISS is decommissioned?

The long-term plan is to keep Canadarm2 operating through the ISS’s remaining years by treating it as a serviceable system, not a one-off piece of hardware. That strategy rests on the arm’s modular design. Canadarm2 was built so major components, especially joints and end-effectors, can be swapped out in orbit during spacewalks rather than replacing the entire arm. NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have already used that approach before, including a similar repair in 2017, and the current fix is possible because a spare joint was pre-positioned on the station. More broadly, the Mobile Servicing System around Canadarm2 was designed with orbital replacement units, allowing worn or failed parts to be exchanged as needed. The other part of the plan is operational life extension. Canadarm2’s workload is increasingly managed from the ground by controllers in Houston and near Montreal, reducing demands on astronaut time and allowing the system to be operated in a more controlled, routine way. That does not eliminate wear, but it helps NASA and CSA manage the arm carefully as it ages. There is no sign of a full replacement arm being planned for the ISS. Instead, the maintenance model is continued inspection, fault monitoring, use of on-orbit spares, and targeted repairs to keep Canadarm2 functional until the station is retired, currently expected around 2030. In short, the plan is sustained upkeep through replaceable parts and careful operations, not wholesale replacement.

3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Jun 12

June 30 is the target date for a two-astronaut spacewalk to replace a seized wrist joint on Canadarm2, leaving the International Space Station’s robotic arm offline for at least several weeks.
May 27 routine work triggered the failure: NASA said the joint showed elevated motor current and the arm did not move as expected, prompting a repair plan developed with the Canadian Space Agency and MDA Space.
A spare joint is already aboard the station, and NASA said Canadarm2 was built with replaceable segments for in-space servicing; a similar repair was carried out in 2017 on one of the arm’s hands.
Canadarm2 is critical for berthing cargo spacecraft and handling maintenance tasks on the ISS, where it made its last cargo capture in April and has continued operating 10 years beyond its design life.