NASA's Anil Menon to make 1st spacewalk alongside Jessica Meir
NASA's Anil Menon, who has Indian roots, is gearing up for his very first spacewalk on August 6, 2026.
He'll be stepping outside the International Space Station with commander Jessica Meir for a seven-hour mission starting at 6:05pm. Indian Standard Time.
Their main task? Installing new hardware on the station's Starboard six truss.
Crew rehearses for IROSA installation
Menon and Meir are setting things up so the ISS can get a new Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) later this year (basically a big upgrade to boost the station's power supply).
The whole crew has been prepping hard: Menon and Meir have been running through tools and checklists, while NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Sophie Adenot are handling support from inside.
This mission is also a big milestone in Menon's NASA journey as he helps keep the ISS powered for future research and safe operations.