Maintaining the station: the high-stakes labor of orbital spacewalks

Space · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Beyond the view of Earth lies a continuous cycle of critical maintenance. From replacing failed cooling pumps to installing solar array hardware, astronauts perform complex engineering tasks in the vacuum of space to ensure the International Space Station remains operational and powered.

Spacewalks are essential for the assembly and maintenance of the International Space Station (ISS). Since December 1998, there have been over 280 spacewalks conducted to keep the station functioning. These missions range from routine repairs to complex upgrades, such as the installation of the International Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) system. During a 6.5-hour spacewalk on August 6, 2026, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon fitted iROSA mounting hardware onto the station's 3B power channel. This work is part of a larger effort to augment the station's electricity supply, which is expected to increase by 20% to 30% once the new wings are fully integrated.

The necessity for these upgrades stems from the station's aging infrastructure. The eight original solar arrays have begun to show degraded power output as they exceed their 15-year design life. The iROSA wings are designed to sit forward of these legacy arrays to augment electricity generation rather than replace the existing system. During the August 2026 mission, the astronauts assembled triangular brackets on the starboard segment of the station's backbone truss and routed cabling to carry electricity from future iROSA units into the power channel. They also applied multi-layer insulation to struts to protect them from potential micrometeoroid strikes.

The physical demands of these tasks are significant. Astronauts often work for several hours, sometimes exceeding seven hours, using specialized equipment like the articulating portable foot restraint (APFR) to maintain stability while working on the station's truss. While many spacewalks focus on maintenance, such as the October 7 mission by Expedition 41 Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman and Alexander Gerst to relocate a failed cooling pump, others focus on future-proofing the station through electrical and structural upgrades.

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