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Spacewalkers begin final phase of multi-year space station power system upgrade
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk completed the first of two spacewalks to install the seventh ISS roll-out solar array (IROSA), enhancing the station's power system ahead of schedule.
- The newly installed IROSA adds eight kilowatts of power, boosting the station's total power capacity to about 200 kilowatts, with the final two arrays expected to raise it to approximately 215 kilowatts.
- The IROSAs, smaller but more efficient solar panels, are replacing aging original arrays to sustain the ISS's operations through its planned retirement in 2030.
- The astronauts worked during orbital darkness for safety, using the station's robotic arm to position the heavy, folded arrays before unfolding and connecting them to the power grid.
- The final spacewalk, scheduled for November 5, will install the last IROSA, completing a multi-year upgrade critical for supporting life support, research, and future deep space missions.
