Two NASA astronauts begin spacewalk to prepare new solar panels on ISS

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon ventured outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday for a spacewalk aimed at preparing for the installation of new, advanced solar panels. The extravehicular activity (EVA) lasted approximately six and a half hours, commencing around 8:35 a.m. Eastern Time.

Meir, undertaking her sixth spacewalk, and Menon, on his first, worked to prepare the 3B power channel. This channel will connect to the new Roll-Out Solar Arrays (ROSAs), which are scheduled to arrive at the ISS by the end of 2026. These seven new arrays are part of a modernization program initiated in 2021 and will significantly boost the station's power supply.

Unlike traditional solar arrays, the ROSAs are designed to deploy automatically. Stored potential energy within their composite material structures allows them to unfurl to their full length of up to 19 meters in about six minutes, without the need for motors. This enhanced power capacity is crucial for supporting critical ISS operations and will aid in its eventual safe and controlled deorbiting.

The NASA spacewalk is part of ongoing efforts to upgrade the ISS's power systems. The agency has scheduled two more maintenance spacewalks for August 13 and August 25, though the specific astronauts assigned to those tasks have not yet been announced.