Kutryk Spacewalk: Canada's Astronaut Debuts in Orbit

The Kutryk spacewalk made history on Thursday, October 29, when Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk stepped outside the International Space Station for the first time. He and NASA astronaut Anil Menon spent seven hours and eleven minutes outside, according to NASA, and bolted a brand new solar array onto the orbiting lab.

A first for Kutryk, a milestone for the station

Kutryk, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, is on the station as part of Expedition seventy-five. Thursday was his first time floating outside, and it also happened to be the one hundredth United States spacewalk from the station, counted without the shuttle era. That is a big round number for a place that has been crewed nonstop for more than two decades.

Menon, who is fifty, has now been out four times. Kutryk is forty-four. The two exited the Quest airlock, switched their suits to battery power at about 7:57 a.m. Eastern, and returned at 3:08 p.m., according to collectSPACE.

Menon summed up the mood at the end of the outing. "This is USOS EVA one hundred, which is an incredible milestone. I think it really signifies how much we have done," he said, as quoted by collectSPACE.

What they actually installed

The job was to install and deploy an ISS Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, on the station's two-A electrical power channel. Think of it as a giant rolled-up solar blanket that unfurls once it is bolted in place. First, the pair unbolted the array from a temporary stowage platform. Menon then rode the Canadarm2 robotic arm while carrying it to the port-side truss, and Kutryk made his way there tethered to the station.

Once the array was mounted, it unrolled and started feeding power into the station. Spaceflight Now described it as the seventh of eight new panels meant to keep the outpost running through its planned retirement in 2030. Each unit weighs roughly seven hundred fifty pounds, per Aviation Week.

Why more power matters

The station is old, and its original arrays have been degrading for years. The roll-out arrays are a patch that gives it extra juice for experiments, life support and cooling. NASA also notes the added electricity will support critical operations, including the safe and controlled deorbit of the station.

That deorbit is a huge deal. When the station retires, a dedicated vehicle will guide it down over a remote part of the ocean. The extra power helps keep every system healthy until that day arrives.

The crew also finished several get-ahead tasks, which should make the next outing smoother. They prepped hardware that will be needed when the final array goes in.

What comes next

A second spacewalk is planned for Thursday, November fifth. That one will install the eighth and final roll-out array, and the station's power capacity should climb from one hundred sixty kilowatts to two hundred fifteen, according to CBC News. Kutryk and Menon are expected to be the duo again.

For Canada, this is a proud moment. Kutryk is the fifth Canadian astronaut to perform a spacewalk, and the country has a long history of contributing to the station, from the Canadarm to its astronauts. Seeing a Canadian out there on the one hundredth American outing feels like a nice full-circle moment.

Why Gen Z should care about orbital maintenance

Spacewalks can look like pure spectacle, but they are really about hard, careful work. Every bolt has to be loosened by gloved hands inside a bulky suit, and every cable has to be routed without a single slip. Seven hours of that is exhausting, and the crew makes it look routine because of years of training in a giant pool in Houston.

The Kutryk spacewalk also shows how international the station really is. A Canadian and an American shared one worksite, using a Canadian-built robotic arm to move an American-made array. That kind of teamwork is rare in a world where politics often pulls countries apart, and it is a big reason the station has lasted so long.

The bigger picture for space nerds

Space agencies are quietly planning the post-station era, with commercial outposts and lunar plans in the pipeline. Until then, spacewalks like this one are what keep the current home in orbit alive. If you like following space news, keep an eye on the November fifth outing, and check our science coverage and Canada news for updates.