NASA astronaut Anil Menon's new video offers stunning look at newly installed solar arrays on ISS
NASA astronaut Anil Menon has shared another video of the new roll-out solar arrays after he installed one outside the International Space Station (ISS) last week. Taking to X, Menon shared a time-lapse video of the arrays rotating against the stunning backdrop of a star-filled sky as seen from the Japanese module of the station. “Seen through the Japanese module window: The newly installed solar arrays are rollin’ as they provide 45% more power than previously," the astronaut captioned his video. "We are using that power to perform science, manufacture pharmaceuticals, and pave the way to the moon and, eventually, Mars," he added.
Seen through the Japanese module window: The newly installed solar arrays are rollin’ as they provide 45% more power than previously. We are using that power to perform science, manufacture pharmaceuticals, and pave the way to the moon and, eventually, Mars. https://t.co/NdIxcQ7kRj
— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) November 1, 2026
Menon, along with his Canadian counterpart Joshua Kutryk, performed a spacewalk on October 29 for the installation of one of the two roll-out solar arrays, which arrived on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft last month. Donning their spacesuits, the duo spent 7 hours and 11 minutes installing the 750-pound (340-kilogram) solar panels on the station’s port-side truss structure. Menon also shared pictures from the spacewalk featuring him attached to the Canadarm2, which helps with positioning of the astronauts outside the station as well as moving equipment across large distances. That spacewalk, or Extravehicular Activity (EVA), was the 100th overall for the U.S. and the first for Canada in seven years.
“During the 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk, Menon and Kutryk installed and deployed an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) on the station’s 2A electrical power channel,” NASA said in a statement. “The array is the seventh IROSA installed on the station and will provide additional power to support critical operations, including a safe and controlled deorbit.”
There’s another spacewalk scheduled on November 5 to install the eighth and final roll-out solar array on the 3B power channel on the starboard side of the truss structure. Menon and Kutryk will step out into the vacuum of space again at 8:10 am EST for the installation, marking the 286th spacewalk in support of space station maintenance, assembly, and upgrades, and of course, the 101st U.S. spacewalk. The spacewalk will be streamed live starting at 6:45 am on the NASA+ platform along with X, Discovery+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. “Following the Nov. 5 spacewalk, the roll-out solar arrays will be fully installed, completing the space station’s power system augmentation," says NASA. "Together, the eight arrays will increase available power by up to 30%, boosting the station’s power generation capacity from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts.”
Roll out solar arrays will be installed during next week's spacewalk. You can see two of them folded and ready to be installed and you can also see how they look when they are installed (look in front of the big ones - the new ones are smaller and slightly tilted). https://t.co/sgc6YmJViB
— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) October 25, 2026
Prior to the last spacewalk, Menon had shared a video showing the solar arrays rolled up like a carpet outside the Japanese station module. Following the spacewalk, the two astronauts did light work last week, with Menon conducting a space botany investigation into how microgravity affects cell division on green algae and cultured tobacco cells, whereas Kutryk tested an exercise cycle meant to keep the crew fit on long-duration missions.
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