Indian-origin Nasa astronaut Anil Menon is set to conduct his first spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, joining veteran astronaut Jessica Meir for a seven-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) to upgrade the orbiting laboratory’s power infrastructure.
The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 6:05 pm IST on August 6, 2026.
During the mission, Meir, the station commander, and Menon, a flight engineer, will exit the Quest airlock to install hardware on the station’s Starboard 6 (S6) truss. The work will prepare the 3B power channel for the future installation of an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA).
The new solar array, expected to be delivered later this year, will be the seventh IROSA installed on the ISS.
The upgraded arrays are designed to boost the station’s power generation, supporting ongoing scientific research, routine operations and the station’s eventual safe and controlled deorbit.
Ahead of the spacewalk, Meir and Menon spent the day configuring tools and reviewing procedures.
Inside the station, Nasa astronaut Jack Hathaway and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot rehearsed support operations and will assist the spacewalkers in donning and removing their spacesuits, while also monitoring the EVA from within the ISS.
The IROSA programme is part of Nasa’s long-term effort to modernise the station’s aging solar power system.
The new roll-out arrays generate significantly more electricity than the original solar panels despite being smaller and lighter, helping extend the operational capabilities of the ISS.
Menon, a physician and former flight surgeon, joined Nasa’s astronaut corps in 2021 and launched to the ISS earlier this year as part of Expedition 74.
His maiden spacewalk marks another milestone for the Indian-origin astronaut, who is playing a key role in maintaining and upgrading humanity’s only permanently inhabited outpost in space.
The EVA is expected to last about seven hours, although the exact duration will depend on the pace of the installation work and conditions outside the station.
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