Astronauts deploy another solar array to bolster ISS power

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed the second-to-last upgraded ISS solar array during the station's 100th U.S. spacewalk. The work targeted the 2A electrical power channel, adding to an upgrade program whose new arrays operate alongside the station's aging original panels. [2][9] Why it matters: The station's eight original arrays have exceeded their 15-year design life and are producing less power. Operating the roll-out arrays alongside the older panels has increased the station's power supply by 20% to 30%, helping compensate for that degradation. [2] Key insights: The upgrade supplements rather than removes the original hardware: the new array extends over about half of a larger legacy panel. [2] | The reported 20%–30% power increase describes the combined upgrade system, not the contribution of this single newly installed array. [2] | This was the second-to-last upgraded array, leaving one more in the installation sequence described by the report. [2] Cheatsheet facts: What happened: Menon and Kutryk installed and deployed another roll-out solar array in a seven-hour, 11-minute spacewalk. [2] | Why: The eight original arrays have exceeded their 15-year design life and their power output has degraded. [2] | The catch: New and old arrays work together; the reported 20%–30% power increase is not attributed to this installation alone. [2] | What we don't know: The supplied account does not quantify the power added by this individual array. [2]