NASA astronauts complete erecting a roll-out solar array

69th Expedition After 5 hours and 35 minutes, NASA Flight Engineers Woody Hoburg and Steve Bowen called it a day at 2:17 p.m. EDT.

Installing an IROSA (International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array) to increase power generation for the 1B power channel on the station’s starboard truss structure was Hoburg and Bowen’s primary goal, which they successfully accomplished.

The previous array, which is 112 feet long by 39 feet wide, is being partially shaded by the new array, which is 60 feet long by 20 feet wide (18.2 metres by 6 metres). Each additional IROSA generates more than 20 kilowatts of electricity, and when combined, they allow the station to create 30% more power than it does with its present arrays.