ISS Astronauts Install Seventh Upgraded Solar Array
Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk spent 7 hours and 11 minutes outside the International Space Station installing an upgraded solar array.
FlyMarshall Newsroom1 min read
Photo: NASA
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed an upgraded solar array outside the International Space Station on October 29, 2026. The spacewalk lasted 7 hours and 11 minutes.
Key details
- The astronauts mounted an iROSA on the station’s 2A electrical power channel and extended it to about 63 feet (19 meters).
- The array weighs about 750 pounds (340 kilograms).
- The installation was the seventh of eight planned iROSAs.
- The spacewalk was described as the 100th U.S. outing from the ISS without a space shuttle docked.
- iROSAs working with the station’s older arrays have been reported to increase its power supply by 20% to 30%.
The newly installed iROSA extends about 63 feet (19 meters) across the station’s 2A power channel.
Why it matters
The upgraded arrays add to the station’s power-generation system, supporting its ongoing operations in orbit. The installation also marks a milestone in U.S. spacewalks from the ISS without a shuttle docked.
What happens next
The remaining planned iROSA installation is scheduled for a November 5 spacewalk, completing the eight-array plan. What will the final installation add to the station’s power system?
More stories
ISRO's GSLV-F18 Places NVS-03 Navigation Satellite in Orbit
Jack Parsons Helped Shape Early American Rocketry
Northern and Southern Taurid Meteor Showers Set for November 2026 Peaks
NASA's Lunar Landing Research Vehicle Flew for the First Time in 1964
Hubble and Webb Show Three Views of the Cat's Eye Nebula
