INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION — Nov. 6, 2026. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk completed a six-hour, 59-minute spacewalk Thursday, installing the eighth and final roll-out solar array on the International Space Station. The operation concluded a multi-year upgrade designed to give the orbital laboratory more electricity for its remaining research and operating years.
NASA said the spacewalk ended at 3:35 p.m. Eastern on November 5. The new array was installed on the station’s starboard truss, on the 3B electrical channel, after the crew exited the station’s Quest airlock earlier that morning.
A power upgrade years in the making
The original station solar arrays have been operating in space for decades. The International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays, known as IROSAs, were installed as supplemental systems to increase power generation while using the existing station infrastructure.
NASA says the eight-array installation program began in 2021 and involved 18 spacewalks for preparation and installation. Together, the arrays increase available electric-generation capacity from around 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts, roughly a 30% boost. These are station power-capacity figures, not a claim that it constantly uses or delivers the maximum number at every moment.
How the final work unfolded
In the days leading up to the November 5 operation, the crew assembled and checked suits, tools and robotic-arm procedures. The two astronauts had already installed the seventh array on October 29, when they worked on the opposite side of the orbital outpost.
For the final array, NASA’s plan called for Menon to help transport the equipment using Canadarm2, while Kutryk assisted with the truss-side transfer and installation. NASA confirmed after the operation that the final array had been attached and deployed successfully.
What happens next
The added power helps support station science, essential systems and preparations for eventual end-of-service operations. On November 6 NASA reported that the crew was stowing tools, reconfiguring spacesuits and resuming biomedical research and maintenance.
This is a completion story rather than another announcement of a planned spacewalk. NASA’s mission log documents both the work and the crew’s return, although long-term operational performance will continue to be monitored.
Watch the official spacewalk broadcast
NASA’s full U.S. Spacewalk 101 webcast documents the November 5 operation. Video: NASA / NASA+.
Sources: NASA’s November 5 completion report, November 6 station update, and the NASA live video hub for mission footage and replays when available.
Photo note: The featured image is a genuine archival photograph of the International Space Station by Norbert Kowalczyk / Unsplash. It is not a photograph taken during the November 5 installation.
