NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams conducted a spacewalk on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to prepare the International Space Station for the installation of a new solar array. The mission marked NASA's first spacewalk in 10 months, representing a resumption of routine external maintenance operations on the orbiting laboratory.
The spacewalk focused on preparatory work rather than the actual installation of the solar array itself. The astronauts performed tasks necessary to ready the station's infrastructure for the eventual addition of the new power generation system, though specific technical details of the preparatory procedures were not detailed in available reports.
The March 18 date indicates this spacewalk was part of ongoing ISS maintenance operations. The 10-month gap since the previous NASA spacewalk suggests a significant hiatus in external station activities, though the reasons for this extended interval were not specified in the source material.
The addition of new solar arrays represents a critical component of ISS operations, as the station relies on solar power generation for all its electrical systems. Solar array upgrades help maintain and enhance the station's power capabilities as older arrays degrade over time in the harsh space environment.
This spacewalk signals the resumption of regular ISS maintenance activities and continues the ongoing efforts to maintain the station's operational capabilities as it approaches its third decade of continuous human presence in orbit.