NASA Completes the 247th Spacewalk for International Space Station’s Solar Arrays

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari completed the 247th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance. NASA's 247th spacewalk was completed at 3:06 p.m. EDT after 6 hours and 54 minutes.

NASA's 247th Spacewalk

NASA is preparing the International Space Station for an additional upgrade of its solar array after two NASA astronauts finished an almost seven-hour spacewalk.

Among those taking part in the 247th spacewalk were astronauts Raja Chari and Kayla Barron, who each completed their first and second spacewalks in support of space station assembly, upgrades, and maintenance.

Astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari are both crewmates in Expedition 66. These astronauts have a goal of securing brackets and erected struts located at one of the bases of ISS's eight original power-providing arrays. The astronauts' spacewalk is in preparation for the installation of a new Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) in the International Space Station.

According to NASA, "Chari and Barron are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA's Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA's Artemis program."

As reported by Space.com, the astronauts worked on installing a support structure on the S4 channel of the 3A solar wing for the third of six new arrays. In addition, NASA's Kayla Barron and Raja Chari are "the first to be added to the starboard side of the space station's backbone truss."

NASA's Solar Arrays for ISS

During the course of today's activities, Barron and Chari completed their major objectives, which included assembling and installing modification kits to prepare the space station for upcoming solar array upgrades.

As of the moment, two of the six iROSAs have been installed in the space station, with four additional arrays scheduled to be delivered in the near future.

The solar arrays used in the International Space Station right now are designed to withstand an on-orbit life of 15 years. Fortunately, it is still functioning completely well. However, despite the fact that they are all still operational, they have begun to show signs of reduced power production. The new iROSAs are placed so that they partially overlap the original arrays.

As reported by Space.com, "When all six of the more capable iROSAs are installed, they will augment the station's existing power generation, increasing the complex's total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts."

NASA's maintenance and installations in the ISS are to assure that space operations can continue until 2030 while also supporting increased commercial activities on board the space station.

NASA's Next Spacewalk

NASA has announced an additional spacewalk on March 23. According to NASA, on Extravehicular Activities (EVA) 80, "Two astronauts will install hoses on a Radiator Beam Valve Module that routes ammonia through the station's heat-rejecting radiators to keep systems at the proper temperature."

In addition, astronauts will also upgrade the hardware on the Columbus module's Bartolomeo science platform, including installing a power and data cable and replacing an external camera that was damaged by debris on the station's truss, as well as performing other upgrades.