NASA ISS Solar Array Upgrade Explained: Final iROSA, 215 kW Power and Anil Menon's Spacewalk

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NASA ISS solar array upgrade explained — a roll-out solar array unfurled on the International Space Station

Image: A roll-out solar array (iROSA) deployed on the International Space Station. Photo: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

TL;DR: The NASA ISS solar array upgrade is now complete: on 5 November 2026, astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk installed the eighth and final roll-out solar array (iROSA) in a 6-hour 59-minute spacewalk. The five-year upgrade lifts station power from 160 to about 215 kilowatts — roughly 30% more electricity for the station's final years before its planned 2030 retirement.

📌 Key Highlights

  • NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk installed the eighth and final iROSA on the station's 3B power channel on 5 November 2026, in a spacewalk of 6 hours 59 minutes.
  • The upgrade raises the International Space Station's power capacity from 160 to about 215 kilowatts — a gain of roughly 30%, according to NASA.
  • The work completes a five-year campaign that began in June 2021 and spanned 18 spacewalks.
  • Menon, an Indian-origin NASA astronaut, has now made five spacewalks totalling 33 hours 30 minutes — second only to Sunita Williams among Indian-origin astronauts.
  • The extra power supports science and operations through the station's final years, before its planned controlled deorbit in 2030.

NASA ISS solar array upgrade: what happened on 5 November

On Thursday 5 November 2026, NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk left the station's Quest airlock at 8:36 a.m. EST to install the eighth and final International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, at the far starboard end of the main truss — beyond the robotic arm's reach, so Menon rode the Canadarm2 to carry the folded array into position.

The array unrolled at about 3:05 p.m. EST, reaching its full 63-foot length. The crew worked through a snag along the way: the newly connected array was delivering only about half the current engineers expected, so Kutryk returned to the worksite during the next orbital night, reseated a power connector, and the readings recovered. They repressurised the airlock at 3:35 p.m. EST, ending the 6-hour 59-minute outing — the 286th spacewalk devoted to station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. NASA confirmed the installation completed the station's power augmentation, which began in June 2021.

A week earlier, on 29 October, the same pair installed the seventh array on the 2A power channel in a 7-hour 11-minute spacewalk, and Menon had already bolted the mounting bracket for the final array during an August spacewalk with Jessica Meir.

How an iROSA works — a solar panel that unrolls like a yoga mat

The station's original solar wings were delivered by space shuttles between 2000 and 2009 and designed to last about 15 years. After two decades in orbit they had degraded, so instead of replacing them NASA mounted a smaller, more efficient array in front of each old wing — the unshaded part of the original keeps generating power too.

Each iROSA is about 63 feet long by 20 feet wide — roughly half the size of the original wings — and is rated at more than 20 kilowatts in orbital daylight. Because each new array shades part of the old wing behind it, the net gain is smaller — about 8 kilowatts per array, according to NASA's spacewalk commentary — which is how eight arrays add up to roughly 55 kilowatts overall. The clever part is the deployment: the array launches rolled up tight, and carbon-fibre booms store elastic energy like a coiled spring. When the restraints are released, the booms straighten and pull the blanket open — no motors, no actuators, nothing to jam. The arrays were built by Redwire Space under contract to Boeing, NASA's prime contractor for station operations.

NASA ISS solar array upgrade explained — an astronaut installs a roll-out solar array during a spacewalk

Image: An astronaut works on a solar array installation during a spacewalk. Photo: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

The upgrade in numbers

DetailFigure
Final spacewalk date5 November 2026
Spacewalk duration6 hours 59 minutes
SpacewalkersAnil Menon (NASA) and Joshua Kutryk (CSA)
Array installed8th and final iROSA, 3B power channel
Power before upgrade160 kilowatts
Power after upgradeAbout 215 kilowatts
Power gainAbout 30% (NASA)
Upgrade campaignJune 2021 – November 2026, 18 spacewalks
Original wingsDelivered 2000–2009, designed for 15 years
Station retirementPlanned controlled deorbit in 2030

Why it matters for India readers

The India connection is the astronaut who finished the job. Anil Menon was born in Minneapolis to Ukrainian and Indian immigrant parents, launched to the station in July 2026 for an eight-month mission, and now ranks second among Indian-origin astronauts for total spacewalking time — behind only Sunita Williams — with 33 hours 30 minutes across five spacewalks. For Indian students and space enthusiasts, his role in the finale of a five-year NASA upgrade puts Indian-origin talent at the centre of human spaceflight.

There is a practical angle too. The station's extra 55 kilowatts powers more science — including experiments whose data feeds weather forecasting, disaster monitoring and agriculture, all of which matter directly to India. And the roll-out array technology is a pointer to the future: compact, lightweight solar blankets are exactly the hardware India's own space programme and its growing private space sector will need for larger satellites and future stations.

Should you care?

✅ Yes, if you follow spaceflight or study engineering: this is the end of a five-year project, done by hand, 420 km above Earth. ⏳ Keep in perspective that the station is winding down — the extra power buys better science for its final four years, not a longer life. The real legacy is the roll-out solar technology, which will fly on future spacecraft long after the station is gone.

What happens next

With the power upgrade finished, NASA's next planned US spacewalks are targeted for early January 2027, to upgrade the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a cosmic-ray detector on the station's truss. The station will keep running science until its planned retirement in 2030, when it will be brought down in a controlled deorbit. Meanwhile, the commercial sector is building what comes next — including SpaceX's Starship, which flies its 15th test flight on 13 November — and the iROSA design is a candidate for powering those future stations.

FAQs

What is an iROSA?
An iROSA — International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array — is a compact solar panel that launches rolled up and unfurls in orbit. Carbon-fibre booms store elastic energy and pull the flexible blanket open without motors. Eight iROSAs now supplement the station's original solar wings.

How much power does the ISS generate now?
About 215 kilowatts, up from 160 kilowatts — a gain of roughly 30%, according to NASA. That powers life support, communications, thermal control and science experiments through the station's final years.

How long did the final spacewalk take?
6 hours 59 minutes. Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk began at 8:36 a.m. EST on 5 November 2026 and repressurised the Quest airlock at 3:35 p.m. EST. It was Menon's fifth spacewalk and Kutryk's second.

When will the International Space Station be retired?
NASA plans to retire the station in 2030 with a safe, controlled deorbit. The extra power from the iROSA upgrade keeps the station fully productive in its remaining years, including the deorbit operation itself.

Takeaway: Five years, 18 spacewalks and eight roll-out panels later, the International Space Station has about 30% more power than it did in 2021 — finished by hand, in orbit, by an Indian-origin astronaut. The station's days are numbered, but its final years will be its best-powered ones.

If you want the bigger picture of NASA's ageing fleet, read our explainer on the Hubble telescope rescue plan next — it faces the same race against time, 600 km up.

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