Three and a half months after the start of his space mission, German astronaut Matthias Maurer has begun a spacewalk on the International Space Station (ISS).
Feet first, he left the airlock into weightlessness on Wednesday at around 1.50 p.m. Central European Time, following his NASA colleague Raja Chari.
The only difference between the two astronauts in their white space suits was the two red stripes on Chari's suit.
During their approximately six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, the two are supposed to carry out repairs on the station's cooling system and exchange an external camera.
Outside the ISS, the astronauts first checked each other's space suits and equipment for possible malfunctions.
It turned out that Maurer's helmet camera and light were shaking.
With the support of the NASA team on Earth, a short-term solution to the problem was developed.
The installation of a power and data cable is also planned for use in weightlessness, with which the Bartolomeo science platform is to be made operational.
The Airbus platform is the first European commercial facility built outside of the ISS.
Bartolomeo is said to enable high-speed data transmission and a unique view of the earth and space.
For the work, the 52-year-old and his colleague have to make a complete tour of the space station.
The entire spacewalk will be broadcast live.
Maurer is the twelfth ESA astronaut to complete a spacewalk.
He started in November for six months to the ISS.
In space, he oversees medical research projects, among other things.