Astronaut Kutryk completes extended spacewalk on ISS

Kutryk, distinguishable by a red stripe on his spacesuit, ventured out first from the Quest airlock. This marks his second spacewalk; he previously performed one on October 29th alongside Menon, then installing new solar arrays. Menon has now participated in five spacewalks, NASA confirmed.

The astronauts were focused on installing the final solar array, the eighth of eight, on the station’s starboard truss. NASA broadcast video of the work, showing the tethered astronauts using tools with views of Earth in the background.

The Canadian Space Agency emphasizes that spacewalks are among the most challenging and risky activities for astronauts, but are essential for maintenance, repairs, and manual tasks. The upgrade campaign, initiated in 2021, aims to increase the station’s power generation by up to 30 percent.

David Saint-Jacques was the previous Canadian to perform a spacewalk, which occurred in 2019. Kutryk and the rest of the crew launched to the ISS on October 1st for a mission anticipated to last six months. Several Canadians contributed to Thursday’s spacewalk, including CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons, who served as CAPCOM from Houston, and teams in Longueuil, Quebec, who supported operations using the Canadarm2 robotic arm.