Russian cosmonaut becomes first to ride European robotic arm on ISS spacewalk

an astronaut in a spacesuit adjusts his visor outside the international space station with the curve of earth in the background

A Russian cosmonaut completed the first test flight at the end of a robotic arm as part of a successful spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday (Aug. 9).

Expedition 69 commander Sergey Prokopyev rode at the end of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) to test the durability and sturdiness of a portable workstation. The arm was added to the International Space Station with the Nauka multi-purpose science module in July 2021, but it did not enter service on the Russian segment until almost a year later in April 2022.