NASA, JAXA Astronauts Conduct First Spacewalk of 2023 For ISS Power Upgrades

At 8:14 a.m. EST on Friday, January 20, NASA astronaut Nicole Mann and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata conducted a spacewalk.

SciTech Daily reports that the spacewalk was to finish installing two mounting platforms on the starboard side of the International Space Station's truss as part of the planned solar array augmentation. The pair finished erecting a mounting platform on the 1B power channel, which was started during a previous spacewalk and began installing a mounting platform on the 1A power channel.

In this handout from NASA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, Expedition 32 flight engineer, participates in the mission’s third session of extravehicular activity (EVA outside the International Space Station September 5, 2012 in Space. NASA via Getty Images

First Extravehicular Activity of 2022

Mann was designated as extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2) and was dressed in an unmarked outfit. On the other hand, Wakata was designated as extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) and was dressed in a red-striped outfit. The spacewalk was covered by NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website.

NASA earlier reported that Mann and Wakata finished the work from the previous spacewalk, wherein a set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs) will be installed at the 1B power channel of the space station. The majority of their spacewalk on Friday was also about building a similar mounting platform for a set of iROSAs for the 1A power channel.

Plans to bolt the last strut for the second platform were postponed due to scheduling restrictions. Nonetheless, the space station's activities are unaffected. At 3:35 p.m. EST, Mann and Wakata completed their spacewalk after 7 hours and 21 minutes, as per NASA's latest update.

Mann and Wakata are now on a six-month science mission onboard the orbiting laboratory, advancing scientific understanding and demonstrating new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar trips through NASA's Artemis program.

Installing iROSA's Aboard the ISS

The extravehicular activity on Friday is part of a series of spacewalks to add new iROSAs to the ISS power channels. So far, four iROSAs have been installed, with two more to be attached on platforms installed during this spacewalk in the future.

It was the 258th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, modifications, and maintenance, the first of 2023, and both astronauts' first spacewalk.

The ISS uses its four pairs of solar arrays to soak up the Sun's energy to provide electricity for the scientific experiments conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory, as per Gunter's Space Page. The solar arrays were designed for a 15-year service and have been operating continuously since the first pair was deployed in 2000 followed by additional pairs in 2006, 2007, and 2009.

Although they are functioning well, the current solar arrays already have signs of degradation. So, NASA and its partners will be augmenting six of the eight existing power channels with new solar arrays to ensure a sufficient power supply is maintained in the space station.

The combination of the eight original solar arrays and the new ones will restore the power generation of each augmented array at approximately the same amount generated when the original solar arrays were first installed.