Space & Technology
Spacewalk Completes International Space Station Solar-Array Upgrade
The eighth roll-out array raises the station's estimated generation capacity from 160 to approximately 215 kilowatts.
The final array is deployed
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk completed a six-hour, 59-minute spacewalk on November 5. They installed and deployed the eighth International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array on the station's 3B power channel. The operation concluded at 3:35 p.m. Eastern, completing the current power-augmentation installation campaign.
A project spanning eighteen spacewalks
Work supporting the roll-out arrays began in February 2021. NASA says astronauts completed eighteen spacewalks to prepare power-channel equipment and install all eight arrays. The sequence shows why the final deployment is a project milestone rather than an isolated repair: earlier crews prepared structural and electrical systems for each installation.
Additional generating capacity
NASA estimates that the combined arrays increase station power capacity from 160 kilowatts to about 215 kilowatts. The newer arrays supplement portions of the original solar wings. More available power supports station systems and research, although actual operations also depend on orbital lighting, storage, distribution and equipment condition.
Experience outside the station
The outing was Menon's fifth spacewalk and Kutryk's second. NASA counted it as the 286th spacewalk supporting station assembly, maintenance and upgrades and the 101st under the U.S. numbering sequence. Those counts describe program history; the operational result was successful installation and deployment of the final planned roll-out array.
What follows
Teams will continue monitoring electrical performance and the station's power system. Completion of installation does not end maintenance or inspection needs. Later mission records will show how the added capacity is used and whether any adjustments are required. This report uses NASA's operational log and does not reproduce agency imagery.
Primary evidence
Reporting note: This independently composed article is based on the linked primary records. Publication and event dates are stated separately. Agency claims are identified as such; an allegation, charge or scheduled event is not presented as a finding, conviction or completed event. Readers should consult the official record for amendments and later action.