ISS Crew Installs A Fourth Roll-Out Solar Array

Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 3:27 p.m. EST after 7 hours and 8 minutes.

Cassada and Rubio completed their major objectives for today to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) on the 4A power channel on the port truss. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.

It was the 257th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades, and maintenance, and was the third spacewalk for both astronauts.

Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

While Thursday’s spacewalk was underway, NASA Space Station Program Manager Joel Montalbano and Roscosmos Human Spaceflight Executive Director Sergei Krikalev participated in an audio-only media teleconference. The two space executives discussed the ongoing investigation of an external leak detected on the Soyuz MS-22 crew ship. Ground teams continue to assess data and options for the safe return of crew to Earth.