Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and NASA astronaut Anil Menon began a spacewalk outside the International Space Station airlock to fit and activate the eighth IROSA on the 3B channel of the space station, completing the power augmentation upgrades.
Menon and Kutryk also completed distinct proactive tasks to prepare for a planned spacewalk during which they will install the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B power channel.
In accordance with the November 5 spacewalk, the roll-out solar panels will be completely set up, finishing the orbital’s laboratory’s electrical power upgrade.
The eight arrays will increase available power by up to 30% elevating the station’s power generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. US spacewalk 100 was Menon’s fourth and Kutryk’s first; however it was also the 285th spacewalk in support of space station operations and maintenance.
On social platform X, users have been responding with one writing, “ Best detail of these IROSA walks: they mate the power cables during orbital night, when the array makes nothing. Same rule I live by on the turbine side, work it de-energized.”
Second remarked, “ seven hours outside the station installing a solar array is honestly incredible. I love watching this kind of work happen live.”
Third added, “Why arrays matter so much up there: about a third of every ~90-minute lap is spent in Earth’s shadow, so the panels must feed the batteries during the sunlit part while also running the station.”
