Update: US Spacewalk 100, whose start Geekiki reported on October 29, was successfully completed the same day. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed the seventh of eight International Space Station (ISS) roll-out solar arrays, known as iROSA, during an outing lasting 7 hours and 11 minutes.
What was installed
The activity began at 7:57 a.m. Eastern Time on October 29, from the Quest airlock, and ended at 3:08 p.m., according to NASA. The array, weighing about 340 kilograms, was installed on the station's port-side truss, on the 2A power channel, and unrolled on its own to about 19 metres, with no motor, thanks to energy stored in its carbon-composite booms.
Menon, attached to the Canadian-built Canadarm2 robotic arm, carried the array to the installation site, while Kutryk helped secure it and connect the power cables. Inside the station, Luke Delaney operated Canadarm2, with support from Jessica Watkins.
Kutryk's first outing
The outing marked Kutryk's first spacewalk, making him the fifth Canadian to perform one and the first since David Saint-Jacques in April 2019. For Menon, it was his fourth spacewalk. The operation was also the 285th spacewalk supporting ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades.
Next step: November 5
The two astronauts also completed preparatory tasks for the next outing, scheduled for November 5, when the eighth and final iROSA is due to be installed on the 3B channel. Once all eight arrays are operating, the station's power-generation capacity should rise by up to 30%, from about 160 to about 215 kilowatts.
In a statement, the CSA highlighted that Kutryk described the view of Earth from outside the station as unlike any other experience and said he looked forward to continuing the adventure. The second spacewalk, on November 5, will be covered live by NASA from 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time.
Read Geekiki's previous article on the start of the operation: NASA inicia caminhada espacial 100 dos EUA para instalar 7º painel solar iROSA na ISS.
Sources: Canadian Space Agency and NASA coverage via Starlust, plus the International Space Station's post on X on October 29, 2026, confirming the spacewalk's completion.
Image credit: NASA — Anil Menon (right) and Joshua Kutryk (left) inside the International Space Station's Quest airlock ahead of the October 29 spacewalk, with Jessica Watkins in front.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public posts on X and internet sources, including the Canadian Space Agency and NASA's coverage of the spacewalk. We recommend consulting the original sources to confirm all details.
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