NASA astronauts complete the first US spacewalk in almost a year outside International Space Station
NASA has confirmed the completion of Spacewalk 94, marking the first spacewalk of the year. The tasks for participating Expedition 74 crewmates Jessica Meir and Chris Williams included preparatory work for a future IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays) installation and were concluded at 2:54 pm EST on March 18, 2026. Fellow astronaut Jack Hathaway and ESA’s Sophie Adenot also played key roles from inside the International Space Station in helping the spacewalking astronauts suit up and get ready.
Station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov was also in attendance, documenting the event by taking pictures as Adenot and Hathaway prepared the spacesuits. The pair installed MetOx canisters in the spacesuits to keep the air breathable, which does so by getting rid of carbon dioxide. The pair also proceeded to install a jetpack unit, known as a SAFER unit, on the spacesuits. The acronym stands for ‘simplified aid for EVA rescue' and helps with independent navigation using its own propulsion. Though it adds mass to the spacesuit, it is an important precaution taken to ensure an astronaut's safety should they become untethered from the space station.
Once SAFERs were installed, Meir and Williams moved through the equipment lock section of the Quest airlock to the crew lock section before finally exiting the station. During the 7-hour-2-minute-long spacewalk, which was the 278th one supporting assembly, maintenance, and upgrades of the space station, the duo prepared the 2A power channel, which will enable the installation of the IROSA. This, in turn, will provide more power to the orbiting laboratory, support its critical systems, and enable controlled deorbit. The station's 3B power channel also needs to be prepared for the same purpose. However, that has been set aside for Spacewalk 95, the time and date of which NASA will announce later. Meir and Williams were also supposed to install a lens cover on a camera of the station's Canadarm2 and swab near the Quest airlock for microorganisms, but NASA said these tasks, too, will be addressed by a future spacewalk.
That being said, Meir and Williams did end up completing certain additional tasks as well. They installed a 2A power system jumper cable and adjusted bolt torque on a battery box. This was Meir and Williams’ fourth and first spacewalks, respectively. In the end, when the time for the astronauts came to enter the airlock again, the duo encountered some minor snags. Meir and Williams worked in tandem to "reconfigure a tether" that was causing them some issues in entering the airlock. Ultimately, flight controllers also helped with instructions for both to safely make their way inside, as they did on many occasions throughout the entire duration of Spacewalk 94.
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