Astronauts to install solar array in space station upgrade spacewalk

NASA astronaut Anil Menon, age 43, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, age 44, are scheduled to leave the International Space Station Quest airlock at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) on October 29. Spaceflight Now reported that the uncrewed power augmentation effort involves two upcoming extravehicular activities, while Space reported that the mission marks the first spacewalk by a Canadian astronaut in seven years. [1][2]

According to Spaceflight Now, the primary objective for the October 29 spacewalk is to install and unfurl the seventh of eight International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, known as IROSAs. A second spacewalk is planned for November 5 to finish the series. These compact, high-efficiency arrays are designed to replace electrical output lost as the original solar panels have degraded over more than two decades in orbit. [1]

The work continues a long-running effort to upgrade the orbiting laboratory. As FTMQ Space reported earlier, the current Expedition 75 crew began preparing for the solar array installation while conducting biomedical research aboard the complex. NASA astronaut Jessica Meir took command of Expedition 75 on July 26, 2026, and the mission is scheduled to conclude on April 1, 2027. [3][4]

According to Spaceflight Now, completing the solar array installation will ensure the space station maintains adequate power through its scheduled decommissioning in 2030. [1]