On November 5, 2026, Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk and NASA's Anil Menon completed the installation of the final solar array on the International Space Station.. This excursion marked Kutryk's second journey into the vacuum of space in just two weeks.
The eighth solar array and the starboard truss upgrade
The primary objective of the November 5 mission was the placement of the eighth and final new solar array on the starboard side of the station's truss. This structural backbone is essential for supporting the orbiting laboratory's critical hardware.. To ensure clear identification during the operation, Joshua Kutryk wore a distinctive red stripe on the legs of his space suit, distinguishing him from NASA astronaut Anil Menon.
According to The Canadian Press,the installation of these arrays is a central part of a broader effort to increase the power capacity of the International Space Station. This technical upgrade ensures that the station can continue to support complex scientific research and life-support systems as the facility ages.
Ending the gap since David Saint-Jacques' 2019 spacewalk
Joshua Kutryk's recent activity represents a significant milestone for the Canadian Space Agency, as he is only the fifth Canadian astronaut to ever perform a spacewalk. This achievement ends a notable lull in Canadian extravehicular activity; as reported by The Canadian Press, the last Canadian to venture outside the station was David Saint-Jacques in 2019.
The Canadian Space Agency emphasizes that these missions are among the most perilous tasks an astronaut can undertake. The inherent risks of working in a vacuum require exhaustive training and preparation, as any equipment failure or manual error during the installation of the solar arrays could have catastrophic consequences for the crew.
Six months aboard the ISS via SpaceX Crew-13
Joshua Kutryk began his current mission on October 1, 2026, launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. he traveled to the International Space Station as a member of the SpaceX Crew-13 mission, a deployment that is expected to last approximately six months.
The intensity of Kutryk's schedule—performing two major spacewalks between October 29 and November 5—underscores the urgency of the station's current maintenance cycle. The first outing on October 29 saw Kutryk and Anil Menon successfully install seven of the eight required arrays, leaving only the final piece for the November 5 completion.
The specific power capacity gains from the eight new arrays
While the successful installation of the eight arrays is a technical victory, several dteails regarding the upgrade remain unverified. The source material notes that the work was intended to "upgrade the station's power capacity," but it does not specify the exact wattage increase or how this new power will be distributed among the station's various modules.
Furthermore, it remains unclear if these new arrays are intended to replace failing older hardware or to provide additional energy for new scientific payloads. The reporting focuses on the operational success of the spacewalk rather than the specific electrical specifications of the new hardware.
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