NASA and Canadian Astronauts Begin Spacewalk for Space Station Solar Power Upgrade

A NASA astronaut and a Canadian astronaut began a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Thursday to work on a new solar array, continuing a multiyear effort to strengthen the orbiting laboratory's electrical supply.

NASA said Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk switched their spacesuits to battery power at 7:57 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on October 29, marking the official start of the excursion. The agency designated the operation U.S. spacewalk 100 and the 285th spacewalk supporting the station's assembly, maintenance and upgrades.

Their principal assignment was to install and deploy the seventh International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, on the station's 2A electrical power channel. The new panels are designed to augment, rather than entirely replace, older solar wings whose output has declined after years in orbit.

The work involves removing a folded array from an external storage position and transporting it to the station's truss. Menon is to use the Canadian-built Canadarm2 robotic arm during the transfer, while Kutryk moves along the station structure to assist with installation. Astronauts inside the station support the operation by controlling the robotic arm and monitoring procedures.

The excursion marks Kutryk's first spacewalk. He became the fifth Canadian astronaut to venture outside a spacecraft and the first Canadian to do so since David Saint-Jacques in 2019. Menon has previously conducted three spacewalks.

NASA planned the operation to last approximately six hours and 45 minutes. The spacewalk's start is confirmed, but a completed installation and final duration should not be inferred from the initial mission update alone. Those details depend on NASA's subsequent operational confirmation.

The array is one of eight new roll-out wings in the station's power-modernization programme. NASA says the completed set is expected to increase available station power from approximately 160 kilowatts to 215 kilowatts, supporting research, station systems and eventual retirement operations. The eighth and final array is scheduled for a separate spacewalk on November 5.

The latest outing highlights the ongoing operational cooperation between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, including Canada's contribution of robotic technology used for complex work outside the station. The mission is a scheduled engineering operation, not a new launch or an announcement that the entire solar-upgrade programme has been completed.