NASA is making final preparations for two spacewalks on the International Space Station (ISS).
It’s been eight long months since the U.S. space agency sent one of its own astronauts into the harsh vacuum of space, so there’s some excitement among ISS observers about what’s to come outside the spacecraft.
The first date is currently scheduled for Thursday, January 8, when NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman will leave the relative safety of the station via the Quest airlock.
The two astronauts will prepare the 2A power channel for future roll-out solar installation. Once installed, the arrays will provide additional power to the station, including critical support for the station’s safe and controlled orbit, scheduled to occur around 2030.
The spacewalk will be Cardman’s first, while Fincke marks his 10th, making him the most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut.
A week later, on Thursday, January 15, two as-yet-unnamed NASA astronauts will depart the orbiting outpost to perform various tasks. These include replacing a high-resolution camera on camera port 3, installing a new navigation aid (a planar reflector) for visiting spacecraft on the front port of the Harmony module, and relocating an early ammonia servicer jumper – a flexible tubing assembly that connects parts of a fluid system – along with other jumpers to some of the station’s supports, NASA said on its website.
The upcoming spacewalks will be the 278th and 279th external space station assembly, maintenance and modernization activities.
NASA will broadcast the two spacewalks live on its online channel NASA+, with exact times to be announced in due course. Video content is transmitted through a series of cameras mounted not only on the station, but also on the astronauts themselves. You can also listen to the astronauts discussing their activities with mission control on Earth, and NASA will provide live commentary explaining exactly what you’re seeing.
While NASA astronauts have been inside the station since May 2025, Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky ventured outside in October on spacewalks that lasted between six and seven hours.
