NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk conducted the 100th spacewalk from the International Space Station’s Quest airlock on Oct. 29, installing a new solar array to boost the station’s power supply. The spacewalk, which began at 7:57 a.m. EDT, marked the 285th spacewalk since ISS assembly began in 1998 and the eighth of the year.
The astronauts completed the installation of a final pair of roll-out solar blankets, part of a years-long upgrade to the station’s aging power system. The IROSAs (ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays) are more efficient than the original panels, featuring advanced solar cells. Before the first IROSA was installed in 2021, the station’s original arrays generated about 152 kilowatts of power. The six IROSAs installed to date have increased output to 200 kilowatts, with the final two bringing capacity to 215 kilowatts. This upgrade will support the station’s planned retirement and de-orbiting in 2030, sustaining life support systems, research, and visiting vehicles.
The final two IROSAs were delivered to the station aboard a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule earlier in October, folded in half and stowed in the ship’s unpressurized trunk. The station’s robotic arm, operated by flight controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, extracted the arrays and positioned them on the left side of the station’s power truss for installation. The spacewalk lasted six and a half hours, concluding the first of two planned excursions to complete the power system upgrade.
The Quest airlock, used for all 100 spacewalks without a space shuttle present, remains the primary exit point for ISS extravehicular activities. The upgrade ensures the station can continue operating at full capacity through its remaining operational lifespan, supporting scientific research and international collaboration in low Earth orbit.