Canadarm2, installed by Chris Hadfield, needs repairs. Another Canadian will help out

The aurora australis crowns Earth’s atmosphere in this photograph taken April 3, 2026, from the International Space Station. In the foreground, the Canadarm2 robotic arm extends from a power and data grapple fixture attached to the Harmony module. Photo by Chris Williams /NASA

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Canadarm has a broken wrist.

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Officially the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) but colloquially known as Canadarm2, it’s Canada’s most visible contribution to the International Space Station.

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Launched into orbit by a space shuttle in 2001 and attached to the station by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski, it was designed with a 15-year lifespan in mind. It’s almost twice that age now.

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“It’s ageing gracefully and showing signs of wear,” said Jason Dyer, Houston-based deputy liaison manager with the Canadian Space Agency, at a NASA briefing on Thursday.

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“However, this graceful ageing was always part of the original design. The Canadian Space Agency and its partner MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates designed these joints and the end effectors to be replaced.”

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NASA astronauts Jessica Meir (top) and Chris Williams are pictured during a spacewalk on March 18, 2026, to complete the installation of a solar array modification kit on the International Space Station. Photo by Jack Hathaway /NASA

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That robo-orthopedic surgery will take place Tuesday when two of the space station’s crew, flight engineers Chris Williams and Jessica Meir, don spacesuits and head outside for a 6.5-hour spacewalk.

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Fiona Antkowiak, NASA’s spacewalk flight director, said it will be Williams’ second spacewalk and Meir’s fifth, in addition to being the 280th such endeavour over the life of the station.

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Hadfield recently wrote about the arm on social media, comparing it to “an aging tennis player” and recalling his mission to help install it. That event is commemorated on Canada’s five-dollar bill, which Hadfield is often asked to sign.

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In another Canadian connection, astronaut Jenni Gibbons will be the voice of Earth when speaking to the two astronauts outside the station. In November 2023 Calgary-born Gibbons was announced as the backup crew member for fellow Canadian Jeremy Hansen on the Artemis II mission that took place earlier this year.

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She also worked as an astronaut support person responsible for final spacecraft configuration, and served as CAPCOM (capsule communicator) during the mission.

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Canadarm2 had a double hand transplant in 2017 and 2018.

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“Now it’s time for one of those joints, said Dyer. “We have joints and spare hands on board, and while this spacewalk will use up one of those joints, we do have another joint … on the ground being processed for launch.”

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In addition, the balky joint will be brought back to Earth for analysis and repair before being sent back to the station. NASA plans to de-orbit the space station around 2030, but stressed that Canadarm2 will remain a vital part of the mission until the very end. “The arm is critical to what we do,” said Bill Spetch, the station’s operations and integration manager.

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Antkowiak noted that the joint being replaced weighs about 90 kgs, while the Latching End Effector or LEE cluster that will be temporarily unattached weighs more than 400 kgs. She added: “We’re looking forward to returning a fully functional arm at the end of the spacewalk”

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NASA will provide live coverage of the walk on its Youtube channel starting at 6 a.m. ET Tuesday.

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