On Thursday, NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk began a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) at 7:57 a.m. Eastern Time to install a roll‑out solar array that will increase the station’s power supply and support future controlled deorbit operations.
Xinhua Report
Xinhua, the official news agency of China, reported that the EVA started on Thursday and was expected to last more than six and a half hours, according to NASA. The agency noted that the new solar array will be the seventh of its kind on the ISS and will be attached to the 2A electrical power channel. It also highlighted that the EVAs are in the 285th series of spacewalks supporting ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades.
NASA Statement
NASA’s own update, released on its Space Station blog, emphasized that the spacewalk marks astronaut Anil Menon's fourth EVA and Joshua Kutryk's first. The agency said the array will provide additional power to support critical station operations, including the station's safe and controlled deorbit. NASA also explained that the roll‑out array is part of a series of upgrades designed to extend the ISS’s operational lifespan and improve its energy resilience.
CBS News Coverage
CBS News reported that the spacewalk was running well ahead of schedule and that the astronauts had already installed the first set of ISS roll‑out solar arrays. The outlet described the EVA as a “final phase of a multi‑year space station upgrade” and noted that the installation effort was progressing without difficulty.
During the EVA, Menon and Kutryk carried out several tasks, including securing the rolled‑up array to the station’s exterior, unlocking the deployment mechanism, and connecting the array’s power cables to the ISS’s electrical system. The Kilo‑pound toolkits and harnesses used by the astronauts are part of a standard EVA kit that enables them to manipulate large structures in the vacuum of space.
The addition of the new solar array is a strategic move to ensure the ISS remains capable of safe deorbit maneuvers in the event that maintenance hardware or power generation capacity is compromised. The ISS’s deorbit procedure relies on its ability to generate sufficient thrust and power to depress its orbit and manage re‑entry over a safe trajectory.
With the increased power from the new array, the ISS can also support additional experiments and crew operations that require high‑load electronics. This upgrade will reduce reliance on the older, less efficient power modules located in the station’s array truss.
In contrast, Xinhua’s coverage focused primarily on the operational details and the EVA’s place within the broader program of ISS maintenance. NASA’s update stressed the significance of the array for the station’s future, whereas CBS highlighted the mission’s efficient execution.
The spacewalk concluded after close to the expected six and a half hours, and both astronauts returned safely to the station’s airlock. Their successful EVA adds to the growing fleet of solar arrays that demonstrate the ISS’s capacity to maintain and upgrade its infrastructure with the help of international space cooperation.
As the ISS continues to age and missions accumulate, the roll‑out array represents a key element of the station’s life‑extension plan. The new power source is part of an ongoing effort to keep the ISS operational well into the 2030s and to ensure that it can safely return to Earth when the mission finally ends.
