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Station power upgrade reaches its last solar array

NASA confirmed that Kutryk and Menon installed and deployed the final array on November 5.

Miami Register · News Desk

The International Space Station has all eight of its planned roll-out solar arrays in place. Astronauts Joshua Kutryk and Anil Menon installed and deployed the last one on the 3B power channel during their November 5 spacewalk. NASA confirmed completion after the excursion ended at 3:35 p.m. Eastern.

The work lasted six hours and 59 minutes. It followed the pair’s October 29 installation on the 2A channel. The wider power project began in February 2021 and required 18 excursions to prepare the equipment and put the new arrays in service.

NASA estimates the station’s generating capacity rises from about 160 to 215 kilowatts with the eight arrays installed. This report incorporates the mission’s completion notice, which followed the morning announcement that the astronauts had started the work.