Nasa astronauts conduct spacewalk outside International Space Station – video

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Published: 2026-08-08 • Permanent link

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon completed a six-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, installing mounting hardware for three new rollout solar arrays. This marks the first in a series of upgrades aimed at boosting the station’s power capacity by up to 30%, a critical step as NASA prepares for future Artemis missions to the Moon. The spacewalk, broadcast live on NASA TV, drew over 1.2 million concurrent viewers, reflecting heightened public interest in space exploration. Mission Control confirmed all systems were operating nominally post-installation, with no anomalies detected during the extravehicular activity.

The expanded solar capacity is vital for supporting commercial ventures, including private astronaut missions and in-space manufacturing experiments. Investors in aerospace and renewable energy sectors are closely monitoring these advancements, as increased power availability could accelerate demand for long-duration space habitation and satellite servicing. The ISS’s upgraded energy grid also sets a precedent for private space stations, such as those planned by Axiom Space and Blue Origin, which will rely on similar infrastructure. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate that low-Earth orbit infrastructure could generate $1 trillion in revenue by 2040, with solar array advancements playing a pivotal role.

This spacewalk follows a decade of incremental upgrades to the ISS’s aging solar panels, originally designed for a 15-year lifespan. The station’s first arrays, installed in 2000, have steadily degraded due to thermal cycling and micrometeoroid impacts. NASA’s latest rollout arrays, supplied by Boeing, use flexible composite booms instead of rigid panels, reducing mass by 30% while doubling energy output per unit. Historically, such technological leaps have mirrored broader trends in terrestrial renewables, where efficiency gains drive market disruption. Experts like MIT’s Dr. Dava Newman, former NASA deputy administrator, emphasize that these innovations are “essential for scaling human presence beyond Earth.”

Looking ahead, NASA plans two additional spacewalks this month to finalize the array installations, with a second pair of astronauts slated to conduct repairs on the station’s cooling system. The successful integration of these arrays will validate Boeing’s design, potentially opening contracts for similar systems on lunar Gateway outposts. Risks include solar array deployment failures or debris collisions, though NASA’s debris tracking systems monitor over 27,000 objects in orbit. The next major catalyst will be the Artemis II mission in 2025, where upgraded ISS infrastructure may support lunar mission simulations. Investors and space enthusiasts should watch for real-time telemetry updates and post-installation efficiency reports due next month.