By NASA
June 10, 2023
Astronaut Woody Hoburg views as a new roll-out solar variety releases after he and fellow NASA spacewalker Stephen Bowen (out of frame) successfully installed it on the area station. Credit: NASA TV
NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg effectively completed a spacewalk to set up a new solar range (IROSA) on the ISS, enhancing its power generation by 30%. The set also got ready for a forthcoming installation of another IROSA, marking their 3rd spacewalk in the ongoing science mission.
Exploration 69 Flight Engineers Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 3:28 p.m. EDT after 6 hours and 3 minutes.
Bowen and Hoburg finished all of their goals to install an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to augment power generation for the 1A power channel on the stations starboard truss structure. The crew members likewise completed numerous get-ahead tasks setting the stage for the duo to go back outdoors Thursday, June 15, to install the 6th in the series of IROSAs on the starboard 6 truss of the station for the 1B power channel.
The new ranges are 60 feet long by 20 feet large (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and will shade a little over half of the original ranges, which are 112 feet long by 39 feet broad. Each brand-new IROSA will produce more than 20 kilowatts of electrical energy, and as soon as all are set up, will enable a 30% boost in power production over the stations existing arrays.
It was the 264th spacewalk in assistance of space station assembly, upgrades, and maintenance, and was the 3rd spacewalk for both astronauts.
Bowen and Hoburg remain in the midst of a science objective living and working aboard the microgravity lab to advance scientific understanding and show new technologies for future human and robotic exploration objectives, including lunar missions through NASAs Artemis program.