NASA astronaut Anil set for spacewalk

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon is set to conduct his first-ever spacewalk, also known as an Extravehicular Activity (EVA), outside the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a mission to upgrade the orbiting laboratory’s power system. Menon will be joined by veteran astronaut Jessica Meir, who will be carrying out her sixth spacewalk, while the mission will mark Menon’s maiden EVA.

NASA said the astronauts will upgrade the station’s power infrastructure by installing hardware to modify the ISS’s 3B power channel, paving the way for the installation of another International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) later this year.

The new solar panel will be the seventh IROSA installed on the space station. Once operational, it will provide additional power for critical station operations, including systems supporting the station’s eventual safe and controlled de-orbit, India Today reported.