NASA Spacewalk Schedule, Live Stream and More: Watch Live as Astronauts Upgrade ISS Power System

NASA is scheduled to live stream two astronauts in their spacewalk to upgrade the International Space Station power system. Viewers can watch astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Akihiko Hoshide install new support brackets for an incoming solar array.

According to NASA, the International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable satellite that orbits around Earth and serves as a home to astronauts and cosmonauts. The space station also serves as a unique science laboratory where researchers could test experiments at zero-gravity conditions. Currently, ISS can support a crew of six plus visitors.

ISS' first piece was launched in November 1998. It expanded and upgraded to be the world's biggest space station in the succeeding years, sized similar to one football field.

With its rich history, the ISS occasionally needs some form of maintenance, specifically with its solar arrays.

International Space Station: An Upgrade on ISS Power System

The whole space station is comprised of modules or "nodes." Stretching out from its sides are solar arrays that collect energy from the sun and provide electricity to the station. Lastly, robotic arms are mounted outside the station to help build or move astronauts around when they go on their spacewalks.

On Tuesday, August 24, two astronauts will perform their spacewalk to install upgrades on the ISS solar arrays. As seen in this picture by Digital Trends, they will install a modification kit on the 4A power channel. These will support the incoming International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSA).

According to Digital Trends, two iROSA units have previously been installed on 4B and 2B. One iROSA is sized 60-foot-long and 10-foot-wide when expanded. Here is a cool timelapse video of astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet completing their installation work last June 20.

For reference, the older solar arrays equipped were designed to last 15 years but remain functional even after 20 years. However, their efficiency have been significantly reduced in the process. These new arrays to be installed should provide more power even though they are smaller. Ideally, the new arrays should power the U.S. Laboratory, the Harmony module, and the Columbus module on the ISS.

How to Watch NASA Live Stream: ISS Spacewalk Schedule

NASA will live stream the spacewalk on their NASA TV YouTube channel and NASA website.

The live stream officially starts at 7 AM ET, August 24, an hour earlier than the spacewalk itself, scheduled at 8:30 AM ET. The whole installation process is expected to run up to seven hours.

A day before this event, NASA will also hold a briefing for the spacewalk and other related information. This program is scheduled at 2 PM ET, August 23.

All video coverage is directly linked to the video embedded below. Interested viewers are recommended to visit the NASA website on the respective time schedules to watch the whole event.