Astronauts Install New Solar Array During Seven-Hour Spacewalk
NASA and Canadian astronauts deployed the space station's seventh roll-out solar array Thursday. The eighth and final array is planned for installation Nov. 5.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed a new solar array outside the International Space Station on Thursday, completing a spacewalk that lasted seven hours and 11 minutes.
The astronauts ended the spacewalk at 3:08 p.m. EDT, according to NASA. The new International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, known as an IROSA, was installed on the station's 2A electrical power channel. It is the seventh of eight roll-out arrays being added to the orbiting laboratory.
The equipment will provide additional power for station operations, including its eventual safe and controlled deorbit. NASA says the full set of eight arrays will increase available power by up to 30%, raising generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts.
Menon and Kutryk also finished work to prepare for another spacewalk planned for Thursday, Nov. 5. During that outing, they are scheduled to install the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B power channel, completing the station's power-system upgrade.
NASA plans live coverage of the Nov. 5 spacewalk beginning at 6:45 a.m. EST. Viewers can find the agency's coverage through its space station updates: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/10/29/spacewalkers-install-roll-out-solar-arrays-for-power-generation/
Thursday's outing was Menon's fourth spacewalk and Kutryk's first. It was the 285th spacewalk supporting assembly, maintenance and upgrades of the International Space Station.