CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and NASA astronaut Anil Menon are scheduled to install the final solar array on the International Space Station on November 5, 2026.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Colonel Joshua Kutryk is scheduled to perform his second spacewalk on November 5, 2026. Kutryk will be joined by NASA astronaut Anil Menon to install the eighth and final rollout solar array as part of an upgrade campaign that began in 2021. This mission aims to increase the power generation capacity of the International Space Station.
The spacewalk is expected to take approximately seven hours. According to the Canadian Space Agency, the operation will involve installing the final solar array on the starboard side of the truss, which serves as the station's structural backbone.
Canada will provide several key components for the operation. CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons will serve as capcom, and Canadarm2 will be used to move the solar array. Additionally, teams at the CSA in Longueuil and NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will support the operations.
Media representatives have been invited to the John H. Chapman Space Centre at the Marc Garneau Conference Centre in Longueuil, Quebec, to watch a livestream of the event. The viewing event is scheduled to start at 6:30 am ET on November 5, 2026.
Kutryk and his SpaceX Crew-13 crew members departed for the International Space Station on October 1, 2026, for a mission expected to last six months.
This upcoming spacewalk follows a previous operation conducted on October 29, 2026. During that mission, Kutryk and Menon successfully installed seven of the eight new solar arrays required to upgrade the station's power capacity. That previous operation lasted 7 hours and 11 minutes. By completing the eighth array, the duo will finish the current upgrade campaign.
Kutryk is the fifth Canadian to perform a spacewalk. He joins Chris Hadfield, Steve MacLean, Dave Williams, and David Saint-Jacques. The last Canadian to perform a spacewalk prior to Kutryk was David Saint-Jacques in 2019.
The Canadian Space Agency states that spacewalks are "among the most difficult and dangerous tasks for astronauts," but notes they are necessary to "repair or install equipment or carry out manual work."
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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Astronauts Joshua Kutryk and Anil Menon are scheduled to perform a seven-hour spacewalk to install the eighth and final roll-out solar array on the International Space Station.
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