NASA and Canadian astronauts completed a seven-hour, eleven-minute spacewalk to install the International Space Station’s seventh roll-out solar array, advancing a power upgrade expected to increase capacity by up to 30 percent.
A seven-hour upgrade outside the space station
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk completed a seven-hour, eleven-minute spacewalk on October 29, installing and deploying the International Space Station’s seventh roll-out solar array. NASA confirmed the operation in an update issued at 3:17 p.m. Eastern time, shortly after the crew returned to the airlock. The new array serves the station’s 2A electrical power channel. The mission marks a concrete step in a multi-year effort to expand the station’s electrical capacity, with one final array installation planned for November 5.
The timeline NASA confirmed
The astronauts switched their suits to battery power at 7:57 a.m. Eastern time, the official beginning of the spacewalk. They concluded at 3:08 p.m., spending seven hours and eleven minutes outside the orbiting laboratory. The excursion lasted longer than the roughly six hours and forty-five minutes anticipated in the advance plan. NASA reported that the crew installed and deployed the array and completed additional tasks to prepare for the next excursion. The public record supports a successful installation; it does not require guessing about every moment of the astronauts’ work.
Why the station needs new power
The International Space Station has operated for decades in an environment that exposes hardware to radiation, temperature swings and repeated orbital cycles. Its original solar arrays continue to function, but their performance has declined over time. Scientific experiments, environmental controls, communications and other systems all depend on reliable electricity. The roll-out arrays supplement existing equipment rather than replacing every original panel. NASA expects the full eight-array upgrade to increase available power by as much as 30 percent, supporting both current operations and the station’s eventual safe, controlled deorbit.
What an IROSA is
IROSA stands for International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array. Unlike traditional large rigid panels that must be transported in an extended form, the new arrays are compactly rolled for launch and unfurled after installation. Their design reduces packaging demands while adding photovoltaic collecting area in orbit. The station’s power system then routes electricity through its distribution channels to equipment that needs it. An array is only one part of that system; cabling, structural mounts, control electronics and the existing power architecture must all work together for the added generation to be useful.
The role of Canadarm2
The Canadian-built Canadarm2 robotic arm was central to moving the hardware to its worksite. NASA’s preparations described Menon riding the arm while transporting the rolled-up array, with Kutryk moving along the station’s truss to assist at the installation location. The arm is operated in coordination with crew members inside the station and specialists on the ground. Such work requires careful choreography because the astronauts, arm and hardware all occupy a constrained environment outside the orbiting laboratory. The completed operation is another example of robotics extending what astronauts can accomplish during spacewalks.
A new array on the 2A power channel
The newly installed unit augments the station’s 2A electrical power channel, one of the paths used to distribute electricity from solar generation to station systems. The specific channel designation matters to engineers because the station’s electrical network is divided into independently managed segments. A successful installation must provide mechanical support and suitable electrical connections, not merely unfold a panel in sunlight. NASA said the array was deployed, indicating that the planned external work was completed. The overall power benefit will be assessed as part of the full augmentation programme.
The final installation is already scheduled
NASA plans another spacewalk on Thursday, November 5, when Menon and Kutryk are expected to install the eighth and final roll-out array on the 3B channel. The October 29 team also performed preparatory tasks for that operation. This is a planned date, not a guarantee: spacewalk schedules can change because of hardware readiness, crew health or operational conditions. The upcoming installation is important because it is intended to complete the array augmentation campaign. Until it occurs, the station has seven of the planned eight new arrays in place.
What the power figures mean
NASA estimates that the full programme will raise station power-generation capacity from about 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. These figures describe the broader upgrade, not the output of the single panel installed on October 29. The agency summarizes the gain as up to 30 percent in available power. Actual electrical availability varies with operating conditions, orbital lighting and system demands. The headline figure is therefore a planning estimate for the completed system. It should not be interpreted as a measurement that every experiment will receive 30 percent more electricity at all times.
A milestone for Canadian spaceflight
For Kutryk, the excursion was his first spacewalk, making him the fifth Canadian astronaut to work outside a spacecraft in orbit. The Canadian Space Agency supported the event through robotics expertise and communications operations. Astronaut Jenni Gibbons served as capsule communicator from the ground, providing a link between the crew and mission-control teams. Canada’s contribution was not limited to the astronaut wearing a spacesuit; it also included engineering, robotic operations and coordination. That broader role reflects the long-standing partnership behind the station’s assembly and maintenance.
Menon’s fourth spacewalk
NASA identified the October 29 excursion as Anil Menon’s fourth spacewalk. Experience matters because external maintenance involves bulky gloves, tether management, limited mobility and precise work under demanding conditions. Even experienced astronauts train extensively for each new task, rehearsing hardware handling and emergency responses. The pairing of an experienced spacewalker with a first-time participant can support careful execution, but success also depends on the larger team. The station crew, robotics operators and ground specialists all contribute to the procedure long before the airlock opens.
The hundredth US station spacewalk
NASA designated the operation US spacewalk 100, marking the hundredth US spacewalk conducted from the station under its counting convention. The agency also described it as the 285th spacewalk supporting ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades. Those figures refer to different categories and should not be treated as contradictory. Spacewalks have enabled installation of structures, repairs, experiments and inspections that could not be completed entirely from inside the laboratory. The milestone highlights the cumulative human work required to maintain a complex spacecraft for more than two decades.
Why work outside the station is risky
A spacewalk exposes astronauts to vacuum, radiation, temperature extremes and the physical challenge of moving without the normal cues of gravity. Spacesuits provide life support and thermal control, while tethers and procedures reduce the risk of separation from the station. Equipment must be designed so it can be handled with pressurized gloves. Mission controllers monitor systems and help manage contingencies. The successful solar-array installation is therefore not simply a matter of fastening a panel; it represents the execution of a carefully engineered operation with multiple layers of safety planning.
Supporting science and the station’s final years
The additional power will support research instruments, life-support equipment and other operational demands. NASA also identifies the eventual safe and controlled deorbit of the station as one reason to maintain robust power generation. That does not mean the station is being retired immediately or that the new array is solely for disposal operations. The ISS remains a working research platform. Maintaining its electrical infrastructure helps protect experiments and crew systems while agencies prepare for the transition to future low-Earth-orbit facilities and eventual end-of-life operations.
What remains to be checked
NASA’s completion announcement confirms installation and deployment of the seventh array. Future updates can establish how the electrical system performs with the new hardware and whether the final November 5 installation proceeds as planned. A photograph of the unfolded panel is useful evidence of deployment, but long-term performance depends on electrical measurements and operational reliability. Journalists should distinguish completion of an external installation from proof that every future power target has been met. The next scheduled spacewalk will be a major milestone in assessing the programme as a whole.
A multinational engineering achievement
The ISS is a shared project whose maintenance combines hardware, astronauts and expertise from multiple national agencies. The October 29 operation brought together NASA and Canadian personnel in orbit and on Earth. The presence of a Canadian robotic arm and a Canadian astronaut in the same operation is a particularly visible example of that cooperation. International space projects depend on practical compatibility between systems and teams, not merely diplomatic agreements. The successful installation demonstrates how sustained engineering collaboration can keep an aging orbital laboratory productive.
The significance of the completed mission
The result is both immediate and forward-looking. A seventh roll-out solar array has been installed on the station’s 2A power channel, and the astronauts completed preparation for the final planned installation. The confirmed seven-hour, eleven-minute duration and spacewalk milestones add historical context, but the engineering outcome is the main news. If the eighth array is installed as planned, NASA expects the completed system to provide a substantial boost to station power. For now, the seventh installation is a verified step toward that goal.
Frequently asked questions
Who completed the October 29 spacewalk?
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk.
How much extra power will the upgrade provide?
NASA expects the full eight-array programme to increase available station power by up to 30 percent.
When is the final solar-array installation planned?
NASA has scheduled the eighth array installation for November 5, subject to operational readiness.
Primary source: NASA International Space Station update, October 29, 2026, 3:17 p.m. EDT.
