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NASA plans a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 20 to preview U.S. spacewalks 100 and 101, scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. The two operations are intended to install the seventh and eighth roll-out solar arrays, completing an ISS power-system augmentation that NASA says will raise generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to about 215 kilowatts.
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. The operations, scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, are intended to complete the station’s solar power augmentation and add electrical capacity for ongoing operations.
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 expected to leave the station through its Quest airlock to install and deploy the seventh International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, on the 2A electrical power channel.
The second spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5. Menon and Kutryk are expected to install the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B channel during U.S. spacewalk 101. NASA says that completing these two installations will finish the station’s power augmentation upgrades. The operations are planned; the agency’s announcement does not report that either spacewalk has taken place.
NASA’s news conference will originate from Johnson Space Center in Houston and be streamed through NASA platforms. Participants listed by the agency are Gaurang Patel, operations integration manager for the Low Earth Orbit Program, and Garrett Hehn, a spacewalk flight director in the Flight Operations Directorate. NASA said it would publish further coverage information closer to each spacewalk.
Final Arrays Add Station Power
The two planned installations matter because they would complete a power-system upgrade intended to support the station’s continuing operations. NASA says the eight roll-out arrays together could increase available power by up to 30%, taking the station’s electrical power generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to about 215 kilowatts.
The agency identifies support for critical station operations, including the station’s safe and controlled deorbit, among the purposes of the additional power. The arrays are not described as a change to the station’s current mission or schedule; the announcement presents them as an augmentation to its electrical capacity. The spacewalks also involve hands-on installation outside the orbiting laboratory, making the two dates operational milestones as well as the final steps in this array sequence.
If completed as scheduled, the operations will bring the IROSA installations to eight. NASA describes the two walks as the final pair in the power upgrade, so their completion would mark the end of this planned installation phase.
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How the IROSA Work Fits
The International Space Station uses electrical power to support its systems, research and crew activities. NASA’s announcement focuses specifically on adding roll-out solar arrays to the station’s power channels. Each upcoming walk has a separate installation target: the seventh array on channel 2A and the eighth on channel 3B.
NASA counts the Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 operations as the 285th and 286th spacewalks conducted in support of station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. The agency separately labels them U.S. spacewalks 100 and 101. Those numbering systems refer to different counts: the U.S. designations in the announcement and the broader total of spacewalks supporting the station.
The Oct. 20 briefing is intended to preview the planned work rather than report its completion. NASA’s release gives the scheduled dates, crew members, installation locations and projected power effect, but says that more operational coverage details will come closer to the spacewalks.
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Schedule and Operations Still Ahead
The dates in NASA’s announcement are planned schedule information, not confirmation that the spacewalks will occur as listed. The release does not provide details on possible schedule contingencies, how long either operation is expected to last, or what procedures would apply if an installation is delayed. Those specifics remain unreported in the material available for this announcement.
NASA gives a projected increase of up to 30% for the eight arrays together and an approximate generation capacity of 215 kilowatts. It does not provide a separate estimate of the precise power contribution from each of the last two arrays or report post-installation measurements. The agency says additional coverage details will be shared nearer to the operations.
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NASA Briefing and Installation Dates
The next scheduled event is NASA’s Oct. 20 news conference at 2 p.m. EDT. The agency said the event would be streamed online. U.S.-based media seeking to attend in person were asked to contact the Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. EDT on Oct. 19; media requesting phone access were given the same deadline to ask for dial-in details. Reporters wishing to ask questions must dial in at least 15 minutes before the briefing begins.
The planned installation dates are Oct. 29 for spacewalk 100 and Nov. 5 for spacewalk 101. NASA says it will post additional coverage information closer to each operation on its live-events page and space station blog. The outcome of both installations, and whether the dates hold, remains to be reported.
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Key Questions
When is NASA’s 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 through its online platforms.
When are U.S. spacewalks 100 and 101 planned?
NASA scheduled spacewalk 100 for Oct. 29 and spacewalk 101 for Nov. 5. These are planned dates; the announcement does not confirm that the walks have occurred.
Who is expected to perform the spacewalks?
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk are listed for both operations.
What will the spacewalks install?
The first walk is planned to install the seventh IROSA on the station’s 2A channel. The second is planned to install the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B channel, completing the planned array upgrades.
How much power could the full array set add?
NASA says all eight roll-out arrays together could increase available power by up to 30%, raising the station’s generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. The release does not state a measured result for the final two arrays.
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