NASA has announced that its plan to head up to International Space Station for a spacewalk has been rescheduled due to medical issue of one of the astronauts. The agency announced the postponement on Monday that NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Akihiko Hoshide from Japan’s JAXA space agency who was set to suit up and head outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk on Tuesday, won’t be happening due to a “minor medical issue” involving Vande Hei.
NASA however didn't disclose details of the medical issue but said it was not an emergency.Vande Hei and Hoshide were gearing up for a nearly seven-hour spacewalk designed to prep the station for the installation of a new roll-out solar array.
The agency said there won’t be any effect on the delay as the spacewalk is not time-sensitive and added that the crew members are continuing to move forward with other station work and activities.
It was gathered that the agency is looking at rescheduling the work for after the launch of SpaceX’s cargo spacecraft on Aug. 28 and after some planned Russian spacewalks.
Vande Hei is an ISS and spacewalk veteran who previously spent time on the station in 2017 and 2018. He arrived at the ISS in April for a six-month mission.