NASA Spacewalk Begins
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon stepped outside the International Space Station on Thursday to prepare its power system for a new roll-out solar array.
Footage shows the astronauts clinging to the station’s exterior, surrounded by cables, handrails and power equipment, as the Earth looms far below.
The pair emerged from the station’s Quest airlock at 12:35 GMT, beginning a spacewalk expected to last around six and a half hours.
Power System Upgrade
They are installing a modification kit on the station’s Starboard 6 truss, altering the 3B power channel ahead of the planned installation of a seventh International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array later in 2026.
NASA said the extra array will help power critical station operations, including preparations for the laboratory’s eventual controlled deorbit.
Historic Space Mission
It is Meir’s sixth spacewalk and Menon’s first, with Meir taking the lead.
The operation is the 281st spacewalk supporting the station’s assembly, maintenance and upgrades, and the first of three NASA spacewalks planned for August.
NASA TV, via Viory.Video
More from Wake Up Singapore:
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Spacewalk surgery – NASA astronauts replace faulty wrist joint on ISS robotic arm
Shenzhou-23 crew bakes pumpkin in China’s Tiangong space station amid frontier science experiments
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