The 74-member Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station is preparing for the first spacewalk of 2026, scheduled for this week. The spacewalk will prepare the station for the installation of new solar arrays.
NASA astronauts Mike Finken and Zena Cardman will exit the Quest airlock at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday for a spacewalk lasting about six and a half hours. They will install a special modification kit to install a new foldable solar array, which will be delivered to the International Space Station on an upcoming cargo mission.
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Kimiya Yui also participated in preparations for the spacewalk. They reviewed planned operating procedures on Monday and confirmed crew readiness with the mission control center on the ground.
Williams and Yui will support Finke and Cardman during the spacewalk, helping with the donning and doffing of their spacesuits, adjusting the Quest airlock pressure, and monitoring their performance in the open space environment.
