On October 25, NASA will send 2 Roscosomos cosmonauts to conduct a spacewalk outside the ISS. The spacewalk is to install communications hardware and inspect a portion of the orbital complex.

Coverage began at 1:30 PM EDT on NASA television, the app, and the website. The spacewalk started at 1:55 and lasted 7 hours. The cosmonauts are Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub. They will venture out to the space station’s Poisk module install a synthetic radar communication system and release a nanosatellite to test solar sail technology. 

Another reason why they are doing the space is to inspect and photograph an external backup radiator on the Nauka multipurpose lab module that has experienced a leak. This will be the 286th spacewalk and support space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. It is the 6th spacewalk for Kononenko and he will wear the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes. This is the first spacewalk for Chub so he will wear the Orlan spacesuit with blue stripes.