UrtheCast plans second attempt to install Earth-viewing cameras on ISS

The Russian cosmonauts working aboard the International Space Station will make a second attempt to install a set of cameras on the exterior of the space station in late January.

The first attempt to install the UrtheCast cameras, which will provide near-live streaming footage of the Earth, ended in failure after a marathon spacewalk on Dec. 27.

After running into problems hooking up the two cameras, cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy reluctantly brought them back inside the Pirs airlock module, a disappointing end to the eight-hour, seven-minute space walk. It was the longest Russian spacewalk on record, and nearly beat the U.S. record of eight hours, 56 minutes.

On Jan. 7, the commercial company that will run the cameras, UrtheCast, announced that they are ready for a second attempt.

“The issue that delayed the initial installation of the cameras has now been resolved, allowing for the scheduling of the next spacewalk, which is expected by the end of January,” the company said in a press release.

The first attempt failed due to cabling issues inside the ISS, according to the release.

"We are extremely grateful for the extraordinary work by Energia and the cosmonauts onboard the ISS, especially during the holidays," explained UrtheCast's chief executive officer, Scott Larson. "We are confident that our cameras will soon be successfully installed and we are looking forward to collecting our first high resolution videos."

The exact date of the spacewalk has not yet been announced.