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NASA plans a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 20 to preview two spacewalks scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. The operations are set to install the seventh and eighth roll-out solar arrays on the International Space Station, completing an upgrade NASA says can raise available power by up to 30%.
NASA will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to preview two planned International Space Station spacewalks that would install the final pair of roll-out solar arrays and complete the station’s power augmentation work. The operations are scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, subject to the agency’s operational plans.
NASA says the first operation, designated U.S. spacewalk 100, is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk are slated to leave the station through its Quest airlock and install and deploy the seventh International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, on the 2A electrical power channel. NASA says the array will add power for station operations, including its safe, controlled deorbit.
The second operation, U.S. spacewalk 101, is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5. Menon and Kutryk are expected to install and deploy the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B channel. NASA describes these two arrays as the final installations in the station’s power-system augmentation effort. The agency says the eight arrays together can increase available power by up to 30%, raising electrical generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts.
The Oct. 20 briefing will originate from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and will be streamed online through NASA platforms. The agency lists Gaurang Patel, operations integration manager for the Low Earth Orbit Program, and Garrett Hehn, a spacewalk flight director in the Flight Operations Directorate, as participants. NASA has not listed the news conference as the spacewalks themselves; it is a preview of the planned operations.
Final Arrays for Station Power
The two planned excursions would complete an upgrade intended to increase the station’s available electrical power. NASA’s stated figures put the combined increase from the eight IROSAs at up to 30%, with generating capacity moving from 160 kilowatts to about 215 kilowatts. That added capacity supports the station’s ongoing operations and research activities, while NASA also identifies the arrays as part of the power needed for a safe, controlled deorbit at the end of the station’s service life.
The operations also mark a program milestone: NASA calls them U.S. spacewalks 100 and 101. The agency says they will be the 285th and 286th spacewalks conducted in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. The numbering refers specifically to U.S. spacewalks, not the total number of all spacewalks supporting the station.
For readers, the main near-term point is that installation of the final arrays depends on two complex crew operations outside the station. NASA’s briefing gives reporters an opportunity to hear how the agency plans the work and what the astronauts will do, but the release does not provide a detailed task-by-task timeline or confirm that the dates cannot change.
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How the Array Work Fits
The arrays are part of a larger effort to augment the International Space Station’s electrical power system. NASA’s announcement says six IROSAs have already been installed, with the seventh and eighth still planned for the 2A and 3B channels. The arrays roll out after installation, adding generation capacity alongside the station’s existing solar power infrastructure.
The planned sequence is specific: spacewalk 100 would install the seventh array on the 2A channel, followed by spacewalk 101 to install the final array on the 3B channel. NASA says completion of those jobs would finish the power augmentation upgrades. The agency has not supplied further technical specifications for the arrays or a breakdown of how the projected generation capacity is distributed across individual channels.
NASA identifies the upcoming operations as the 285th and 286th spacewalks conducted for station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. The Oct. 20 news conference is scheduled ahead of both operations; NASA says it will provide additional coverage information closer to each spacewalk through its live events page and station blog.
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Dates and Operations Still Pending
The Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 dates are listed as planned operations; NASA’s announcement does not say that either spacewalk has already taken place or provide a guarantee that the schedule will remain unchanged. It also does not specify the expected duration of either excursion, the detailed work sequence, or whether weather, technical issues or other operational factors could affect timing.
NASA’s stated power figures describe the combined contribution of all eight IROSAs. The release does not quantify how much additional power each of the final two arrays is expected to provide individually, or give a revised estimate of station power after each installation. Further operational details and coverage arrangements are expected closer to the spacewalks.
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Briefing Before the Spacewalks
NASA plans to stream the Oct. 20 news conference at 2 p.m. EDT from Johnson Space Center. U.S.-based media seeking to attend in person must contact the Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 19. Media representatives seeking to join by phone must request dial-in details by the same deadline and dial in at least 15 minutes before the briefing to ask a question.
After the briefing, NASA says it will publish additional coverage details for spacewalks 100 and 101 closer to each operation on its live events page and space station blog. The next scheduled milestones are the Oct. 29 installation on channel 2A and the Nov. 5 installation on channel 3B.
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Key Questions
When is NASA’s spacewalk preview news conference?
NASA scheduled the briefing for 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from Johnson Space Center in Houston. The agency said it would stream the event online.
When are spacewalks 100 and 101 planned?
NASA lists Thursday, Oct. 29, for U.S. spacewalk 100 and Thursday, Nov. 5, for spacewalk 101. These are planned dates; the announcement does not state that the operations are guaranteed to proceed on schedule.
What will the astronauts do during the spacewalks?
Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk are scheduled to install the seventh IROSA on the station’s 2A electrical power channel during the first spacewalk, then install the eighth and final array on the 3B channel during the second.
How much power will the arrays add?
NASA says the eight arrays together can increase available power by up to 30%, raising station electrical generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. The agency did not provide separate power estimates for the final two arrays.
How can the public follow the spacewalks?
NASA says the preview will be streamed through its online platforms. The agency plans to share further coverage details for both spacewalks on its live events page and station blog closer to the operations.
Source: primary
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