New Delhi: Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon is preparing for his first-ever spacewalk at the International Space Station. NASA announced that Menon will take part in three spacewalks on August 6, August 13 and August 25 alongside astronaut Jessica Meir.
The mission includes upgrading solar arrays, replacing a communications antenna, and installing new power and data cables to support the space station’s operations. The work will also help prepare the station for the future installation of the International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA), which will provide additional power and support its safe and controlled deorbit.
During the August 13 spacewalk, the astronauts will replace a Space-to-Ground antenna used for communication between Mission Control in Houston and the ISS. On August 25, they will connect power and data systems and replace a navigation aid used for spacecraft docking on the Harmony module’s forward port.
Menon, whose family roots are in Kerala’s Palakkad, arrived at the ISS aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on July 14 and is expected to remain in orbit for around eight months.
