Tomorrow’s ISS Cargo Resupply Launch Will Include a New Robotic Hand for the Canadarm2

Ken Podwalski, the CSA's ISS Program Manager discussing the resupply mission from the Canadian perspective. Credit: NASA.

Latching End Effector (LEE) ground spare, or as it’s sometimes referred to, the “robotic hand”, and which sits at each end of the Canadarm2, is being launched to the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow onboard a SpaceX cargo resupply mission.

Today NASA a held a press conference to detail what’s being shipped to the ISS. The portion of the video below that deals with the LEE has been preset for you. To learn about all the cargo going up including new science experiments start the video at the 02:50 mark.

View of the end effector of the Canadarm2 / Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) taken by a STS-108 crewmember through an aft flight deck window during the docking approach of the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station
View of the end effector of the Canadarm2 / Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) taken by a STS-108 crewmember through an aft flight deck window during the docking approach of the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA.

The CSA had Ken Podwalski, the CSA’s ISS Program Manager, on-hand to discuss the LEE as well as providing a Canadian science update and also detailed some of the food going up for David Saint-Jacques’ mission schedule to start in late December.

Read all our previous stories on the Canadarm2 “robotic hand” issues and replacements.

 

About Marc Boucher

Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor & publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media Inc. and CEO and co-founder of SpaceRef Interactive LLC. Boucher has 20+ years working in various roles in the space industry and a total of 30 years as a technology entrepreneur including creating Maple Square, Canada's first internet directory and search engine.

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