NASA is making final preparations for the seventh spacewalk to take place at the International Space Station (ISS) this year.
On Friday, June 9, American astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg will step outside the station as it orbits some 250 miles above Earth.
NASA will live stream the entire spacewalk. See below for full details on how to watch.
Bowen and Hoburg will exit the station’s Quest airlock on Friday morning to install an upgraded IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) on the 1A power channel on the starboard truss of the station.
The new arrays are 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and will shade just over half of the original arrays. Once all of the new rollout solar arrays have been installed, the orbital outpost will see a 30% increase in power production over the station’s current arrays.
Friday’s spacewalk at the ISS will be the ninth for Bowen following his first one in 2008, and the first for Hoburg, who is on his first trip to orbit.
What to expect
NASA’s coverage of the spacewalk will feature views from multiple cameras, including ones attached to the astronauts’ space helmets for a detailed look at what they’re doing. Live audio from Bowen, Hoburg, Mission Control, and a NASA commentator will also be part of the stream.
For easy identification, Bowen will wear a suit with red stripes, while Hoburg will wear an unmarked suit.
How to watch
NASA will live stream the spacewalk on Friday, June 9. While the walk itself is expected to begin at 9:15 a.m. ET, NASA’s coverage will start at 7:45 a.m. ET.
You can watch the spacewalk via the player embedded at the top of this page, or by heading to NASA’s website.
Following Friday’s excursion, NASA’s next spacewalk is planned for Thursday, June 15, and involves the same two astronauts.
To learn more about life on the International Space Station, check out these videos made by some of its inhabitants over the years.
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