Expedition 69 International Space Station Spacewalk Preview News Conference - June 1, 2023

Ahead of two upcoming spacewalks, Dina Contella, International Space Station operations integration manager, NASA spacewalk flight director Diane Dailey, and NASA Spacewalk officer Megan Shutika discussed spacewalk procedures and tasks and answered questions from media and social media on June 1. The agency will provide live coverage of U.S. EVA 87 beginning at 7:45 a.m. EDT, Friday, June 9. NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg will exit the station’s Quest airlock to install an upgraded IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) on the 1A power channel on the starboard truss of the station. Bowen will serve as extravehicular activity (EVA) crew member 1 and will wear a suit with red stripes. Hoburg will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 and will wear an unmarked suit. U.S. EVA 87 will be the ninth spacewalk for Bowen and the first for Hoburg. On June 15, the same pair of astronauts will install an IROSA on the 1B power channel on the starboard truss. Assignments for U.S. EVA 88 will be determined at a later date. The spacewalks will see the fifth and sixth IROSAs mounted to the existing station solar arrays. The new arrays are 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 meters by 6 meters) and will shade a little more than half of the original arrays, which are 112 feet long by 39 feet wide. Each new IROSA will produce more than 20 kilowatts of electricity, and once all eight are installed, will enable a 30% increase in power production over the station’s current arrays. Live coverage of the spacewalks will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Join NASA as we go forward to the Moon and on to Mars -- discover the latest on Earth, the Solar System and beyond with a weekly update in your inbox. Subscribe at: www.nasa.gov/subscribe