NASA

The telescope is designed to investigate cosmic enigmas such as dark energy and dark matter, while also testing gravity at vast scales and searching for exoplanets.

The operation forms part of essential maintenance work required to keep the station operational as it approaches its third decade of continuous human habitation.

The before-and-after images shows the impact of the crash as the fresh crater appears to be 60 feet (18 meters) across and less than 10 feet (3 meters) deep.

Menon and Meir exited the Quest airlock and carried out structural upgrades on the exterior of the orbital laboratory during the six-hour, 27-minute spacewalk.

Launched in 2004, Swift is descending faster than expected because of recent solar activity.

The astronauts will also replace a navigational aid used for spacecraft docking on the Harmony module’s forward port, NASA said.

The crew landed in Kazaksthan after a mission that lasted 241 days.

Anil Menon, Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina reached the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-29 to begin an eight-month mission focused on scientific research and technology demonstrations.

The spacecraft carrying Menon and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome at 8:17 p.m. IST.

According to the California Science Center, the installation will be the only exhibit in the world to feature a complete and authentic space shuttle system displayed in launch configuration.

Artemis III is planned to launch in late 2027 at the earliest, with Artemis IV still slated to land on the Moon in 2028.