Crew-6 astronauts install the first of two new solar panels on the ISS

Image: NASA

Friday, NASA astronauts on the ISS completed a six-hour spacewalk to install and deploy one of the two new solar panels brought up on the most recent commercial cargo mission. This brings the total to five new iROSA solar panels on the ISS.

One step closer to finishing solar panel upgrades

The six-hour spacewalk was conducted by NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg, who arrived on the station in March. The two iROSAs, or International Space Station Roll Out Solar Panels, arrived earlier this week on the CRS-28 resupply mission, also by SpaceX.

The two iROSAs were removed from the unpressurized trunk of the Dragon spacecraft on Wednesday, the day after the Dragon docked with the ISS. These are the final two iROSAs to be installed on the station to boost power production after 20 years of use by the original eight.

The spacewalk ended earlier than planned, with the crew an hour ahead of schedule at one point in the spacewalk. With the fifth iROSA installed and deployed, the same two astronauts will install the final one next Thursday.

This spacewalk puts Bowen up to #5 all-time spacewalkers

With now over 61 hours of spacewalks under his belt, Bowen is now in the top five of astronauts with the most spacewalking time. Who did he kick out? Well, none other than the legendary NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson who just returned from a week on the station on Axiom-2.

After next week’s spacewalk, Bowen will likely move up to be the third most experienced spacewalker with room for more.

Currently, the astronaut with the most time spacewalks comes from Russia. Soviet and Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev performed 16 spacewalks, totaling over 82 hours, before retiring. Second place is held by NASA astronaut Micheal L-A, who commanded Axiom-1 on his most recent trip to space. Bowen will be on orbit until the fall when his crew will be relieved by SpaceX Crew-7, plenty of time for more spacewalks, although next weeks is the only one planned at the moment.