A five-year effort to boost the International Space Station's power generation capacity reached its conclusion on November 5, 2026, when two astronauts completed the installation of the eighth and final Roll-Out Solar Array during a nearly seven-hour spacewalk, NASA reported.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk carried out the extravehicular activity, designated U.S. spacewalk 101, as members of Expedition 75. The outing began at 8:36 a.m. EST and concluded at 3:35 p.m. EST, lasting six hours and 59 minutes, according to NASA.
Final Array Installed on 3B Power Channel
The two astronauts installed the eighth International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) on the station's 3B power channel, finalising upgrades across all eight of the station's power channels. With all arrays now in place, NASA said the station's total power generation capacity has increased from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts.
NASA noted that the additional power is intended to support critical station operations, including a safe and controlled deorbit of the ISS in the future.
Roles and Career Milestones
During the spacewalk, Kutryk served as crew member 1, distinguished by red stripes on his suit, while Menon served as crew member 2 in an unmarked suit. According to NASA, the outing was Menon's fifth career spacewalk and Kutryk's second.
NASA recorded the activity as the 286th spacewalk conducted in support of ISS assembly, maintenance, and upgrades overall.
Programme Spanning More Than Five Years
The IROSA power augmentation programme began in February 2021, NASA said. Over the course of more than five years, astronauts completed a total of 18 spacewalks to prepare power channel equipment and install all eight arrays across multiple crew rotations and expeditions.
The November 5 installation of the final array brought the programme to a close, with no further IROSA installations required, NASA confirmed.
Source: NASA