NASA tackles ISS upgrades in live spacewalk
NASA is conducting a series of spacewalks to upgrade the International Space Station's power and data systems before its planned retirement in 2030. These maintenance tasks are essential for the station's final years and its eventual controlled deorbit.
Why it matters
The ISS remains a critical platform for scientific research, and its decommissioning process is a major logistical and engineering challenge for international space agencies.
A live broadcast follows astronauts connecting power and data systems 400km above Earth during the station’s final years in orbit.
The operation, titled US Spacewalk 98, will be broadcast on NASA’s social media channels tomorrow (25 August 2026). The spacewalk concludes a three-part August maintenance programme focused on the station’s power, communications and long-term operation. The task includes connecting power-channel cables and data-relay systems.
The August programme began with US Spacewalk 96 . NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon installed hardware to modify the station’s 3B power channel ahead of a future ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA) installation. The seventh IROSA will supply additional power for critical operations during the station’s remaining years.
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