Space Foundation News
Astronauts Complete ISS Solar Array On 101st Spacewalk
The International Space Station’s solar arrays as seen in orbit. Credit: NASA On a seven-hour spacewalk Thursday, astronauts reached a milestone that will benefit space stations now and in the future. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed the station’s eighth and final International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA). The mission also marked the 101st U.S. spacewalk.
The installation completed a power-generation upgrade that began in 2021 and required 18 spacewalks. The added compact deployable solar arrays supplement the station’s original power system, helping meet growing electrical demands of scientific experiments, life-support systems, and other onboard technology. The new arrays increase the ISS’s power-generation capacity to 215 kilowatts, up from 160.
The work highlights why spacewalks remain essential to human spaceflight. Despite advances in robotics, astronauts are still more capable of performing complex installation, inspection, and maintenance tasks in the harsh environment of space.
The upgrade carries implications for the ISS’s remaining operational years. NASA plans to continue operations aboard the space station through 2030 as it transitions to commercial space stations. For commercial space stations, reliable infrastructure is critical to continuing research in microgravity and preparing technologies for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Several companies developing commercial space stations are adopting technology similar to IROSA. Axiom Space, which is planning to launch Axiom Station in 2028, contracted Redwire to provide roll-out solar arrays.
Kutryk launched to the ISS in October and is scheduled to return to Earth in March. Menon launched to the ISS in July and is scheduled to return to Earth in April. Kutryk and Menon completed the 100th U.S. spacewalk last month.
Related Articles
