Astronauts to embark on spacewalks for science and space station hardware upgrades

Astronauts Andreas Mogensen of ESA and Loral O’Hara of NASA service spacesuits inside the Quest airlock. (Image credit: NASA)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that two of its astronauts, along with an astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), are scheduled to perform extravehicular activities or spacewalks outside the International Space Station (ISS). Their primary objectives include conducting research and executing various systems upgrades of the Station. A brief news release from the American Space Agency also provided information, outlining the tasks assigned to the three.

First spacewalk on October 12

On October 12, during their first spacewalk which is expected to last approximately six hours, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will venture outside of Station to investigate the potential existence of microorganisms on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS). They will gather microbe samples from specific locations on the Station. These samples will subsequently undergo analysis to determine the types of microbes that could potentially thrive in the harsh environment of vacuum space, to reduce human contamination on forthcoming missions to the Moon and Mars.

In addition to their microbe-sampling mission, the astronauts will carry out several other tasks during their spacewalk. These include replacing a high-definition camera located on the station's port truss and performing various maintenance activities in preparation for future spacewalks. They will utilize the Station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, for these tasks. The Canadarm2 will be operated from ground control, marking the first time this has occurred, rather than being controlled by an astronaut aboard the Space Station. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli who is inside the International Space Station, overseeing operations, will be ready to step in if required, ESA said.

The newly installed camera is set to provide a high-definition perspective of Earth, representing an upgrade over the current camera situated beneath the Space Station, the ESA said.

Throughout the spacewalk, the two astronauts will remain securely tethered to the Space Station as a safety precaution. NASA astronaut Jonathan Yong Kim, stationed at mission control in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas, USA, will guide the spacewalkers through each task and procedure.

Loral O’Hara, identified as extravehicular activity (EVA) crew member 1, will be attired in a suit adorned with red stripes. In contrast, Andreas Mogensen, designated as extravehicular crew member 2, will wear an unmarked suit. This marks the first-ever spacewalk experience for both the astronauts.

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Second spacewalk on October 20

On October 20, astronauts O’Hara and NASA Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli are scheduled for a six-and-a-half-hour session of maintenance work outside the orbital Station. Their mission includes the removal of malfunctioning radio communications equipment and the installation of new solar array components.

As part of the task, they will venture outside the space station’s airlock to remove a faulty electronics box, called a Radio Frequency Group, from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the station and replace one of twelve Trundle Bearing Assemblies on the port truss Solar Alpha Rotary Joint. The bearings enable the station’s solar arrays to rotate properly to track the sun as the station orbits the Earth.

During this spacewalk, Moghbeli will assume the role of EVA crew member 1, while O’Hara will serve as EVA crew member 2. This marks the first spacewalk for Moghbeli and the second for O’Hara, designated as US spacewalk 90.

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Watch the spacewalks Live

You can tune in to watch both spacewalks live on the NASA website, NASA Television, and the NASA app. Coverage for the first spacewalk will start at 10 a.m., while the second spacewalk is slated to commence at 7:30 a.m.

All three astronauts launched to ISS earlier

Loral O’Hara, selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, flew to the International Space Station on September 15, 2023, aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. She is a flight engineer and member of the Expedition 70 station crew.

Jasmin Moghbeli, NASA astronaut and Crew-7 Commander, and Andreas Mogensen, ESA astronaut, were launched on the International Space Station on August 26, 2023, aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of the Crew-7 mission. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh crew rotation mission. Moghbeli and Mogensen serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. This is the first spaceflight for Moghbeli, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017, while this is Mogensen’s second trip to the space station.