Kutryk to become fifth Canadian astronaut to perform a spacewalk

Joshua Kutryk is set to become the fifth Canadian astronaut to perform a spacewalk today.

Kutryk, along with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, will upgrade the International Space Station’s power generation system.

The spacewalk is scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT and expected to last nearly seven hours.

NASA says the two astronauts will install solar panels on the orbital outpost’s port side truss structure.

The truss serves as the station’s structural backbone and supports major systems, including solar wings, radiators, power, data and temperature-control equipment.

NASA flight engineers Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will assist the spacewalkers with the Canadarm 2 robotic arm.

Kutryk is on his first mission in space and is expected to perform two spacewalks.

He is the first Canadian to perform a spacewalk since David Saint-Jacques in 2019.

In a blog post detailing the astronauts’ preparation for the mission, NASA says Menon and Kutryk will first release the rollout panels from an external pallet.

Menon will then attach himself to Canadarm 2, retrieve the panels, and ride the robotic arm to the installation site.

Meanwhile, Kutryk will stay tethered to the truss structure before joining Menon to complete the job. Mission controllers will then activate the new solar panels.

The SpaceX Crew 13 took off for the International Space Station on Oct. 1. They will conduct health experiments, research and maintenance work during their six-month mission.

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press