The International Space Station is about to host a high‑stakes maintenance call as two NASA astronauts step outside to prepare the orbiting lab for its next big power boost. The first spacewalk of 2026 will focus on hardware that clears the way for more solar power, a critical upgrade as the station pushes deeper into its third decade in orbit. With a tight choreography and a packed checklist, the outing is designed to keep the station’s electrical lifeline strong well into the coming years.
NASA is pairing veteran experience with fresh spacewalking talent to get it done, sending Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman out of the airlock for a complex, hours‑long excursion. Their work will tie directly into a multi‑year campaign to modernize the station’s power system, a project that has already reshaped the station’s exterior and will influence how future crews live and work in orbit.
Why this spacewalk matters for station power
The upcoming excursion is not a one‑off repair job, it is part of a deliberate push to finish a sweeping power upgrade that has been unfolding around the station’s truss for several years. NASA has been methodically adding new solar hardware so the orbiting complex can support more science, more visiting vehicles, and more demanding experiments without overtaxing its aging original arrays. The spacewalk that kicks off on a Thursday in early Jan is framed as a key step in that broader effort to boost the station’s electrical resilience and flexibility.
Engineers describe this outing as preparation for a future roll‑out solar array, the latest in a series of modern panels that augment the station’s legacy wings. Fincke and Cardman will be working on a specific power channel on the port‑side truss, installing a modification kit and routing cables so that a new array can eventually be attached and tied into the grid. NASA has previewed that Fincke and Cardman are scheduled to begin a six‑and‑a‑half‑hour spacewalk at 8 a.m. EST on Thursday, with the work explicitly aimed at supporting a future roll‑out solar array.
The mission plan: U.S. Spacewalk 94 and beyond
The outing that will send Fincke and Cardman outside is formally designated U.S. Spacewalk 94, the latest in a long line of U.S.‑led excursions from the station. It is the first of two planned spacewalks early this year, a pair that has been on NASA’s books since late Dec as part of a January campaign to tackle power and maintenance tasks. The news release outlining those plans stated that the first of the two spacewalks will take place on Thursday, January 8, 2026, with a second spacewalk scheduled for later in the month, and noted that additional details would be revealed closer to the occasion.
Two spacewalks, known as spacewalk 94 and 95, are set for Thursday, Jan. 8 and a following Tuesday, giving the crew a narrow window to complete the first set of tasks and then build on that work during the second outing. Planning documents describe how the first spacewalk will focus on installing the modification kit and routing cables, while the second will continue power system work and other maintenance. When outlining the schedule, mission planners emphasized that Two spacewalks, identified as 94 and 95, are tightly linked, with the first outing setting up hardware that the second will further configure.
Who is going outside: Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman
NASA is pairing a seasoned spaceflight veteran with a first‑time spacewalker for this mission, a combination that reflects how the agency likes to blend experience with new perspectives on complex tasks. Mike Fincke has already logged significant time in orbit across earlier expeditions, and his return to the station’s exterior gives the crew a leader who has seen multiple eras of ISS operations. Zena Cardman, by contrast, represents a newer generation of NASA astronauts, bringing fresh training and a background steeped in science and exploration to the spacewalk team.
NASA has been highlighting this duo in its public previews, noting that On January 8, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman will step outside the station for the first spacewalk of 2026, a moment teased in an agency post that urged followers to Get ready for the outing in early Jan. That same message underscored that keeping the station running smoothly means constant hands‑on maintenance, a theme that fits the work Fincke and Cardman will perform when they exit the airlock as Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman suit up for the job.
What exactly they will do on the port-side truss
The core of the tasking for this spacewalk is focused on the station’s port‑side truss, the backbone structure that holds solar arrays, radiators, and key power equipment. Fincke and Cardman will install a modification kit and route cables on a specific power channel, work that effectively pre‑wires the station for the next roll‑out solar array to be attached at a later date. This kind of preparatory work is less visually dramatic than unfurling a new panel, but it is technically demanding, involving careful cable routing, connector mating, and structural assembly in bulky gloves.
Mission descriptions explain that Fincke and Cardman will install a modification kit and route cables on the port‑side truss, prepping a power channel for a future solar array so that when the new hardware arrives, it can be integrated quickly into the station’s grid. That same plan notes that Fincke and Cardman will be working in tandem, with one astronaut often stabilizing the other as they move along handrails and work sites, a choreography that has been rehearsed extensively on the ground. The detailed description of how Fincke and Cardman will install a modification kit and route cables on the port‑side truss comes through clearly in a briefing that outlines how Fincke and Cardman will prep that power channel.
How NASA is previewing and rehearsing the walk
Behind the scenes, NASA has been running a full‑court press to make sure the crew and ground teams are aligned on every step of the spacewalk. That preparation includes detailed animations, virtual run‑throughs, and live briefings that walk through the choreography from hatch opening to final tool stow. The agency has also been using social media and video platforms to give the public a clearer sense of what the astronauts will be doing and why it matters for the station’s long‑term health.
One of the more vivid tools is an animation of U.S. Spacewalk 94 that shows how the astronauts will move along the truss, where they will install the modification kit, and how the cable routing will unfold, a preview that has been shared as a U.S. Spacewalk 94 animation scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, when NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman will step outside. Another clip, labeled as U.S. Spacewalk 94 Animation – Tuesday, January 6, 2026, walks through the sequence in even more detail, including a moment when Zena will collect five samples of nearby surfaces in support of a microorganisms activity right before they ingress, a step highlighted in the Jan preview of that animation.
Expedition 74’s broader workload around the spacewalk
The spacewalk is only one piece of a packed schedule for Expedition 74, the current long‑duration crew living and working aboard the station. In the days leading up to the outing, the astronauts have been balancing life science experiments with the meticulous preparations that go into any excursion outside the station. That means checking suits, configuring tools, and reviewing procedures, all while keeping up with ongoing research that ranges from biology to technology demonstrations.
NASA has described how life science filled the crew’s day as Expedition 74 neared the Thursday spacewalk, with Fincke and Cardman carving out time between experiments to rehearse their tasks and coordinate with controllers on the ground. A separate update on Expedition 74’s preparations notes that at center, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut work has been part of the broader campaign, with the crew gearing up for the first spacewalk of 2026 and a second spacewalk scheduled for Jan as part of a busy start to the year, a sequence captured in a mission log that lists JAXA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in the Categories NASA News entry on the campaign.
How this fits into the final ISS power upgrade push
The work Fincke and Cardman will do is part of a larger push that NASA describes as the final phase of the station’s power system overhaul. Over the past several years, crews have been installing new roll‑out solar arrays, known as IROSAs, that unroll like carpets over portions of the original wings. These new arrays are more efficient and compact, allowing the station to generate more power without adding massive new structures, but each one requires careful groundwork in the form of brackets, cables, and electronics that must be installed during spacewalks like the one now on deck.
Recent mission briefings have framed this as the home stretch of a long campaign, noting that NASA is preparing to kick off the final space station power upgrade with additional IROSA work that builds on installations completed in June 2023. One report highlighted how astronaut Nichole Ayers participated in earlier spacewalks outside the International Space complex to help install previous arrays, underscoring the continuity between those efforts and the tasks now assigned to Fincke and Cardman. The description of how NASA is preparing to kick the final space station power upgrade into gear, including references to Nichole Ayers and the International Space work on IROSAs in June 2023, is laid out in a detailed Jan analysis of the program.
Public outreach and how to watch from Earth
NASA has been leaning into live coverage and social media to turn this technical operation into a shared experience for viewers on the ground. The agency has promoted the outing as the first spacewalk of 2026 and encouraged audiences to tune in as the crew steps outside to work on the station’s power system. That outreach is part of a broader strategy to keep the public engaged with the station’s day‑to‑day operations, not just its headline‑grabbing science or visiting spacecraft.
In one post, NASA urged followers to Get ready for the first spacewalk of 2026, noting that on January 8, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Card will be heading outside and inviting viewers to follow along with the action. The same outreach campaign has included a U.S. Spacewalk 94 animation preview reel that showcases how NASA’s U.S. Spacewalk 94 animation preview highlights the upcoming spacewalk of astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman and marks the ongoing efforts of international partners, a clip shared as part of the NASA Spacewalk campaign around the event.
Media briefings, live streams, and the ISS spotlight
Alongside social media teasers, NASA has set up formal briefings and live streams to walk audiences through the technical side of the mission. The agency announced that it would preview U.S. spacewalks at the space station in January, inviting media to learn more about the tasks, the crew, and the hardware involved. That briefing is part of a long tradition of pre‑spacewalk overviews that give reporters and the public a chance to understand how each outing fits into the station’s broader maintenance and upgrade plan.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has also promoted a live preview from the International Space Station, with a stream labeled WATCH LIVE that focuses on the upcoming spacewalks and includes commentary from mission control and the crew. One announcement explained that The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will conduct its first two International Space Station spacewalks of 2026 and invited viewers to tune in On Jan for a live briefing, a message echoed in a separate stream titled WATCH LIVE: NASA previews spacewalks from the International Space Station, which notes that some content is unavailable but still directs audiences to WATCH LIVE as NASA and the ISS crew discuss the plan.
A long-running playbook for power upgrade spacewalks
NASA is not starting from scratch with this outing, it is drawing on a well‑tested playbook developed over years of similar power upgrade spacewalks. Previous missions have seen astronauts swap out batteries, install earlier generations of solar arrays, and rewire power channels to accommodate new hardware. Each of those excursions has fed lessons back into the system, refining how crews train, how tools are designed, and how mission control sequences the work to minimize risk and maximize efficiency.
An earlier campaign to upgrade the station’s power system, for example, was accompanied by a call to Watch Live as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Astronauts Prep for Spacewalk to Upgrade Station Power System, a broadcast that walked through the tasks and highlighted how the agency uses its space station blog and website to keep the public informed. That experience, and others like it, has shaped how NASA now presents the current mission, with a similar emphasis on live coverage and detailed explanations of the work. The continuity between those earlier efforts and the current outing is clear in the way NASA invites audiences to Watch Live as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Astronauts Prep for Spacewalk to Upgrade Station power, reinforcing that this is part of a sustained, multi‑year modernization drive.
Two walks, one strategy for the ISS in 2026
Looking across the pair of spacewalks planned for early 2026, a clear strategy emerges: use tightly focused outings to chip away at the remaining work needed to keep the station viable into the next decade. The first walk, U.S. Spacewalk 94, sets the stage by installing the modification kit and routing cables, while the second, 95, is expected to build on that foundation and tackle additional maintenance. Together, they represent a concentrated push to strengthen the station’s power backbone at a time when its workload, from commercial visitors to national research programs, continues to grow.
NASA has signaled that these are just the first steps in a busy year of station operations, with more maintenance, visiting vehicles, and science campaigns on the horizon. The agency’s January preview noted that On Thursday, Jan. 8, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardma will lead the first outing, and that additional details about subsequent spacewalks and tasks would be shared as plans firm up. That message, combined with the broader note that the news release stated that the first of the two spacewalks will take place on a Thursday in early January and that further specifics would be revealed closer to the occasion, underscores how NASA is pacing its work while keeping flexibility to respond to station needs, a balance captured in the way it plans U.S. spacewalks at the space station in January and in the follow‑up note that the news release stated that the first of the two spacewalks will take place on Thursday and that more would be revealed closer to the event.
The ISS as a constant maintenance project
Stepping back, the upcoming spacewalk is a reminder that the International Space Station is as much a construction and maintenance site as it is a laboratory. Keeping a sprawling, football‑field‑sized complex running in low Earth orbit requires constant attention to power systems, thermal control, communications, and structural health. Spacewalks like this one are the most visible expression of that work, but they sit atop a mountain of planning, training, and ground‑based analysis that never really stops.
NASA’s own messaging captures that reality, noting in its social posts that keeping the station healthy means constant hands‑on maintenance and highlighting how crews like Expedition 74 juggle science with the nuts and bolts of station upkeep. A recent preview framed the first two ISS spacewalks of 2026 as part of a broader maintenance campaign, explaining that The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will conduct its first two International Space Station spacewalks of the year as part of Expedition 74’s work and inviting viewers to watch a live briefing On Jan that lays out the plan. That framing, echoed in a separate note that NASA astronauts prepare for first two ISS spacewalks of 2026 as part of a maintenance push on the ISS, reinforces that the station’s survival depends on a steady cadence of work like the outing now set for early Jan.
As the countdown continues, the focus will be on how smoothly Fincke and Cardman can execute their checklist and how effectively their work sets up the next wave of power hardware. The stakes are straightforward but significant: a stronger, more flexible power system means more room for science, more capacity for visiting vehicles, and more options for whatever comes next in low Earth orbit. For now, the task is clear, and the crew is ready to step outside and get it done.
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