HOUSTON, TX, Oct. 29, 2026 — Two astronauts installed and deployed a new solar array outside the International Space Station on Thursday, Oct. 29, during a spacewalk that lasted 7 hours and 11 minutes, NASA said.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk began the spacewalk at 7:57 a.m. EDT and wrapped up at 3:08 p.m. EDT, according to NASA.
What they did
The pair installed an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, on the station's 2A electrical power channel. NASA says it's the seventh IROSA on the station and "will provide additional power to support critical operations, including a safe and controlled deorbit."
Menon and Kutryk also finished several "get-ahead" tasks to prepare for the next spacewalk, NASA said.
What's next
NASA plans another spacewalk on Thursday, Nov. 5, when the two will install the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B power channel. NASA says live coverage will begin at 6:45 a.m. at nasa.gov/live.
After that, NASA says, the roll-out arrays will be fully installed. Together, the eight arrays will increase available power by up to 30%, raising the station's generating capacity from 160 kilowatts to about 215 kilowatts, according to NASA.
It was Menon's fourth spacewalk and Kutryk's first. NASA counts it as U.S. spacewalk 100 and the 285th spacewalk in support of station assembly, maintenance and upgrades.
Seven arrays down, one to go.
Sources: NASA space station blog, Oct. 29, 2026. Photo: NASA.
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