Overview
- NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed the eighth iROSA during US Spacewalk 101 on Nov. 5, completing the multi-year augmentation program.
- The compact Sunstone-configured iROSA wings were delivered on SpaceX resupply missions and are mounted in front of the station's original panels to restore output lost after more than two decades in orbit.
- With all eight iROSAs operating the ISS's available power rises from about 160 kilowatts to roughly 215 kilowatts, a near 30 percent increase that NASA says will support microgravity experiments and commercial payloads.
- The final installation required two closely timed EVAs, complex robotics work that included Menon riding Canadarm2 while carrying the folded array, and live NASA coverage that featured astronaut imagery shared publicly.
- The extra capacity eases load on aging legacy arrays and gives mission teams more margin to run science and operations through the station's planned safe deorbit phase as they monitor long-term performance.