Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk began a spacewalk at 7:57 a.m. EDT on October 29, 2026, to install another roll-out solar array on the International Space Station. NASA’s 8:02 a.m. update confirmed the start of the excursion.
The assignment concerns the station’s seventh International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, and power channel 2A. At the time of that update, the spacewalk had begun; the installation had not yet been confirmed complete.
Adding Electrical Generation Capacity
Roll-out solar arrays deploy from a compact launch configuration into an extended surface that collects sunlight. Their design allows a substantial generating surface to be transported in a smaller packaged form.
The station’s IROSA installation program supplements its electrical generation capability. The work connects the new array to the existing power system rather than replacing the station’s entire solar-power architecture.
Background on advanced solar systems explains the broader role of deployable arrays in supplying spacecraft electricity. For this excursion, the specific task is installing the additional array assigned to channel 2A.
Robotic Support for the Installation
NASA’s pre-spacewalk preparation update described preparations for the power upgrade. The operation includes support from Canadarm2, the station’s robotic arm, to assist with equipment transportation.
That support reduces the need to move large equipment solely through astronauts’ manual handling. The astronauts still perform the external installation tasks required to secure and connect the hardware.
NASA’s spacewalk preparation coverage also connects the added power capability with the station’s remaining operational requirements and preparations for its eventual deorbit.
The next reportable milestone is confirmation of the installation and its outcome. The agency’s initial October 29 update established that Menon and Kutryk had started the work.
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