NASA plans to conduct three U.S. spacewalks at the International Space Station during August 2026. The first is scheduled for August 6 with Jessica Meir and Anil Menon. Under NASA’s updated timetable, coverage will begin at 11:00 UTC and the spacewalk at 12:35 UTC. The excursion is expected to last about six and a half hours.
First mission will prepare the 3B power channel
Meir and Menon will exit through the Quest airlock to install hardware that modifies the station’s 3B power channel. The work will prepare the orbital laboratory for the future installation of its seventh International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, which is scheduled for delivery later in 2026. NASA says the new array will provide additional power for critical station operations.
The agency also links the power upgrade to preparations for the International Space Station’s eventual safe and controlled deorbit. The August 6 excursion is not the installation of the new solar array itself. It is a maintenance and upgrade task intended to prepare the relevant power channel before the array is added.
Meir’s sixth spacewalk and Menon’s first
The mission will be Jessica Meir’s sixth career spacewalk. She will serve as spacewalk crew member one and wear a suit marked with red stripes. Anil Menon will make his first spacewalk, serving as crew member two in an unmarked suit. Menon arrived at the International Space Station aboard Soyuz MS-29 on July 14.
NASA’s official advisory confirms the crew only for the August 6 operation. The astronauts assigned to the spacewalks planned for August 13 and August 25, along with exact start times and broadcast details, are due to be announced closer to each operation.
Communications antenna replacement planned for August 13
The second excursion, designated U.S. spacewalk 97, is scheduled for August 13. Two astronauts will replace an antenna in the station’s Space-to-Ground Antenna system. NASA describes the antenna as a critical communications system used to transmit data and high-speed communications between Mission Control Center in Houston and the space station.
August 25 task focuses on power, data and docking support
The third excursion, U.S. spacewalk 98, is scheduled for August 25. Crew members will connect power-channel cables and data-relay systems as part of continuing maintenance. NASA says the work will also contribute to preparations for the station’s future deorbit.
The astronauts will also replace a navigational aid used for spacecraft docking at the forward port of the Harmony module. Because NASA has not yet announced the assigned crew or detailed coverage schedule for the second and third events, those details are not treated as final in this report.
The missions would be the 281st, 282nd and 283rd ISS support spacewalks
If completed as scheduled, the three excursions will become the 281st, 282nd and 283rd spacewalks conducted in support of International Space Station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. For the first event, NASA plans to begin coverage 95 minutes before the expected start of the spacewalk.
The schedule can change in response to operational conditions. NASA’s final mission-day updates should therefore be used for start times, crew assignments and completion status. This report describes the announced August program; it does not state that any of the three spacewalks have already taken place.
