GoKawiilISS's Canadarm2 robotic arm stuck after routine walk-off maneuver
NASA astronauts on the International Space Station recently performed a standard walk-off procedure with the Canadarm2 robotic arm, after which the arm and its mobile transporter became unable to move. As of Sunday evening, teams were still investigating whether the fault lies in software or hardware, and NASA had not provided further comment by Monday morning.
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Canadarm2, supplied by the Canadian Space Agency and built by MDA, has operated more than a decade beyond its designed 15-year lifespan, so the incident could renew scrutiny of aging ISS hardware as the station's retirement approaches. The arm has historically been essential for berthing cargo vehicles like early SpaceX Dragon, Cygnus, and HTV-X craft, meaning a prolonged outage could complicate resupply operations if not resolved quickly.
- Canadarm2 and its mobile transporter are currently immobile after a walk-off maneuver.
- Investigators are still determining whether the cause is a software/data issue or a hardware fault.
- The arm has operated well past its original 15-year design life and is critical for berthing cargo spacecraft.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-28
Published there as: “NASA, for the time being, is unable to move the space station's large robotic arm”
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