NASA Announces First Spacewalks of 2026 at the Space Station – Laying the Groundwork for New Solar Array Installations

In March 2026, NASA officially unveiled plans for the 94th and 95th U.S. spacewalks at the International Space Station (ISS). These mark not only the first spacewalks at the ISS in 2026, but also the first for Expedition 74, with the core goal of completing preparatory work on power channels for the subsequent installation of two Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). This also signals the long-awaited restart of the ISS power system upgrade, which was previously delayed due to the early return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission.

Mission Preview Press Conference to Unpack Details on March 16

Curious to learn more about the ins and outs of these two spacewalks? NASA has scheduled a special press conference for 2:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 16, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The event will feature key NASA experts, including Bill Spetch, Operations Integration Manager for the ISS Program, and two Spacewalk Flight Directors from the Flight Operations Directorate, Diana Trujillo and Ronak Dave. The press conference will be broadcast live, available to watch on NASA’s YouTube channel, as well as across the agency’s various online platforms and social media channels.

For media representatives, NASA has outlined clear participation guidelines: those planning to attend in person or via phone must contact the Johnson Space Center Newsroom by 10:00 a.m. EDT on March 16 at 281-483-5111 or via email at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. Reporters wishing to ask questions by phone must dial in 15 minutes prior to the start of the conference, while the general public can submit questions on social media using the hashtag #AskNASA.

Spacewalk 94 to Launch First on March 18 – A Veteran-Newcomer Astronaut Duo Takes the Lead

Of the two missions, the 94th U.S. spacewalk will kick off first, set to begin at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 18, with the extravehicular activity expected to last six and a half hours. NASA will start its full live coverage at 6:30 a.m. EDT the same day, streaming on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and NASA’s YouTube channel—worth tuning in for if you’re a space enthusiast!

The mission will be carried out by two NASA astronauts, Jessica Meir and Chris Williams, who will exit the ISS through the Quest Airlock. Their primary task is to commission and prepare the 2A power channel, laying the groundwork for the future installation of the iROSA. Notably, this will be Jessica Meir’s fourth spacewalk, bringing a wealth of extravehicular experience to the mission; for Chris Williams, however, it will be his first trip outside the station, a major career milestone as part of Expedition 74.

Spacewalk 95 to Focus on the 3B Power Channel – Exact Details TBA

As the second leg of the series, the 95th U.S. spacewalk shares the same core objective as the 94th: supporting the iROSA installation, with astronauts set to conduct dedicated preparatory work on the ISS’s 3B power channel. At present, though, NASA has not yet announced the mission’s exact launch date, crew roster, or live broadcast details, stating only that all relevant information will be released in full as the mission nears.

In fact, these two spacewalks will be the 278th and 279th extravehicular operations conducted since the ISS’s assembly first began. For decades, every step of the station’s assembly, daily maintenance, and equipment upgrades has relied on spacewalks—and these two upcoming missions are a critical step in the ISS’s power system upgrade.

Why the Mission Delay? A Sudden Incident for Crew-11

Originally slated for January 2026, these two spacewalks had to be rescheduled due to the early return of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission. At the time, the Crew-11 crew was forced to make an unplanned return to Earth because of a serious medical condition involving one astronaut—marking the first time the ISS has seen a full crew return early for medical reasons since continuous human occupation began in 2000. This unexpected event disrupted the timeline for the station’s planned upgrade missions.

Thankfully, in February 2026, the Crew-12 mission successfully docked with the ISS, restoring Expedition 74 to its full seven-person crew. All ISS operations have since gradually returned to normal, and these upcoming power channel preparation spacewalks stand as a key milestone in the station’s return to regular service.

How Important Is This Mission? Powering the ISS’s Power System Upgrade

Both spacewalks are ultimately in service of the installation of the Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs)—a purpose-built piece of technology NASA developed to upgrade the ISS’s power system. Compared to the station’s original solar arrays, the iROSAs use advanced roll-out technology, boasting a smaller footprint and far higher power generation efficiency.

Once the preparatory work on the 2A and 3B power channels is complete, the subsequently installed iROSAs will work in tandem with the existing arrays, expected to boost the ISS’s power supply by 20% to 30%. This will not only reliably meet the station’s daily operational power needs, but also provide ample energy for a wide range of on-board scientific experiments and deep space exploration technology tests. It will also help NASA build up valuable ISS operational expertise and experience to support future missions, including the Artemis lunar program and Mars exploration efforts.

In the months ahead, the ISS’s power supply system will undergo a complete upgrade as the iROSAs are gradually installed—and these 94th and 95th spacewalks are an indispensable precursor to this transformation. This 2026 space exploration journey is one well worth following!