NASA to Announce Exciting Details for Upcoming US Spacewalks 100 and 101 in Live News Conference

NASA is set to showcase two forthcoming spacewalks aimed at completing the installation of solar arrays and enhancing the power capabilities of the International Space Station (ISS). A news conference will be held at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, 20th October, from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where details of the operations will be revealed.

The event will be streamed live across multiple platforms, and those interested in viewing can find access information on NASA’s dedicated live events page.

The news conference will feature several key NASA representatives, including:

• Gaurang Patel, Operations Integration Manager, Low Earth Orbit Program
• Garrett Hehn, Spacewalk Flight Director, Flight Operations Directorate

Members of the media based in the United States who wish to attend the event in person are required to contact the Johnson newsroom by 3 p.m. on Monday, 19th October, at the provided email address. Those intending to join by phone must also request dial-in details by the same deadline. To pose questions during the conference, media representatives must connect no later than 15 minutes prior to the event’s commencement.

Upcoming Spacewalks and Their Significance

The first of the two spacewalks, designated as U.S. spacewalk 100, is scheduled for Thursday, 29th October. During this mission, NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk will exit the Quest airlock to install and deploy an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) on the 2A electrical power channel. This solar array will be the seventh in the IROSA series, contributing crucial additional power to support essential operations aboard the station, including its safe and controlled deorbiting process.

Following this, U.S. spacewalk 101 is planned for Thursday, 5th November, where Menon and Kutryk will install and deploy the eighth and final IROSA on the 3B channel of the ISS. This operation will mark the completion of the power augmentation upgrades for the station.

With the installation of these final two roll-out solar arrays, the ISS’s overall power system enhancement will be finalised. Collectively, the eight roll-out arrays are expected to increase the available power by as much as 30%, boosting the station’s electrical power generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts.

Further Information and Coverage

NASA will provide additional details regarding the coverage of U.S. spacewalks 100 and 101 as the dates approach, with updates available on the agency’s live events web page and the ISS blog. These upcoming spacewalks will represent the 285th and 286th missions conducted in support of the assembly, maintenance, and upgrades of the space station.

For more information about research, operations, and the crews aboard the International Space Station, please visit the relevant section on NASA’s website.

For media inquiries, please contact:

• Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
• Headquarters, Washington
• 202-358-1100
• joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

• Sandra Jones / Anna Schneider
• Johnson Space Center, Houston
• 281-483-5111
• sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov / anna.c.schneider@nasa.gov