NASA astronauts to conduct first spacewalk of 2026 this week
What's the story
NASA astronauts are gearing up for their first spacewalk of 2026, scheduled for Thursday, January 8. The mission will be led by Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman. They will step out of the International Space Station (ISS) to prepare the 2A power channel for upcoming solar power upgrades. This is part of a larger effort by NASA to boost the ISS's energy generation capacity.
Milestone
Fincke's 10th spacewalk to set new record
This will be Cardman's first-ever spacewalk, while Fincke will be undertaking his 10th. This will tie him for the most spacewalks ever conducted by a NASA astronaut. The duo's work on this mission is crucial as it lays the groundwork for future solar array installations, which are critical to ensuring enough electricity for scientific research and safe deorbiting of the station at its operational life end.
Upcoming tasks
Second spacewalk to focus on hardware replacements
A second spacewalk is planned for January 15, with two yet-to-be-announced NASA astronauts. They will perform a series of hardware replacements and installations during this mission. These include replacing a high-definition camera on camera port 3, installing a planar reflector on the Harmony module for spacecraft navigation assistance, and relocating an early ammonia servicer jumper and associated hardware along the station's truss segments.