NASA postpones the 1st spacewalk of 2026 after a 'medical concern' with an astronaut

At around 8:00 a.m. EST on January 8, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman were scheduled to leave the International Space Station (ISS) for a planned 6.5-hour extravehicular activity (Spacewalk 94). However, the spacewalk has been rescheduled until further notice because of a "medical concern" surrounding a crew member that arose on Wednesday afternoon.  

Even though NASA said that the "situation is stable," it did not divulge additional information about the affected crew member, citing medical privacy. The January 8 spacewalk was scheduled to prepare the power channel for the future installation of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, according to NASA. The array, once installed, will give the orbiting laboratory more power, which is essential for maintaining its safe and controlled deorbit. 

Had everything gone as planned, it would have been Cardman's first spacewalk, and Fincke's would have been his 10th, tying him for the record of most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut. Bob Behnken, Stephen Bowen, Chris Cassidy, Michael Lopez-Alegria, and Peggy Whitson are 5 American astronauts who have completed 10 spacewalks to date, according to Space.com. Soviet cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev holds the world record of 16 spacewalks in his career.

After the initial announcement of the postponement, a NASA spokesperson reiterated that the situation is stable but also said that a premature end to the ongoing Crew-11 mission may be on the cards. "Our top priority is to complete our missions safely, and we are carefully assessing all possibilities, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew-11's mission." Apart from Cardman and Fincke, Crew-11 includes Japanese astronaut Kimia Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

Medical problems faced by astronauts are not usually disclosed by NASA. Specific astronauts are also typically not named, while information regarding the effects of spaceflight on the human body or other health issues that arise during missions is typically made public as part of larger scientific studies and research. Conditions like space adaptation syndrome, an issue that many astronauts encounter during their first hours in microgravity, were brought to light after years of research. However, the illness is widespread and has afflicted astronauts since the early days of space travel. Additionally, one of the four crew members on SpaceX's Crew-8 mission had a "medical issue" after returning from the space station in October 2024 and was sent to a Florida hospital.

Upcoming spacewalk on January 15

While Spacewalk 94 has been postponed, there are no new updates regarding Spacewalk 95, scheduled for January 15. Set to start at 7:10 a.m. EST and last roughly six and a half hours, it will see two NASA astronauts, who have not yet been named yet, replace a high-definition camera close to port 3, install a new navigational aid called a planar reflector on the forward port of the Harmony module, and move an ammonia service jumper and other jumpers, which are flexible hoses that connect components of a fluid system on the ISS's S4 and S6 trusses.

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