NASA astronauts prepare for first two ISS spacewalks of 2026: Who's conducting the tasks, where to watch
NASA astronauts prepare for first two ISS spacewalks of 2026
NASA astronauts will conduct two spacewalks in January to conduct repairs and upgrades to the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts are preparing for their first two spacewalks of the year to complete tasks outside the International Space Station.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is pictured during a spacewalk tethered to the International Space Station's starboard truss structure. Behind Rubio, the last rays of an orbital sunset penetrate Earth's thin atmosphere as
What we know:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will conduct its first two International Space Station spacewalks – also called Extravehicular activity, EVA – of the year to work on tasks outside the ISS.
The spacewalks will be the 278th and 279th in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades, NASA said.
Where to watch the spacewalks?
FOX 35 plans to cover parts of the six-hour-long space walk.
NASA will stream the spacewalk on its YouTube channel, on NASA+ and on Amazon Prime. The stream will begin about an hour before the mission starts.
When will the spacewalks take place?
Two spacewalks – known as spacewalk 94 and 95 – are set for Thursday, Jan. 8 and Thursday, Jan. 15.
On Jan. 8, two astronauts will exit the station's airlock to finish preparations for the 2A power channel for future installation of the International Space Station's Roll-Out Solar Arrays, NASA said on its website. Once installed, the array will provide more power to the ISS. The astronauts will also swab the outside of the ISS to test for microbes at five locations near the airlock door.
The mission is expected to start at 8 a.m. EST and will last for six hours and 30 minutes.
On Jan. 15, in spacewalk 95, two astronauts will complete several tasks outside the ISS, including: replacing a high-definition camera on camera port 3, installing a new navigational aid for visiting spacecraft – called a planar reflector – on the Harmony module’s forward port and relocating an early ammonia servicer jumper – a flexible hose assembly that connects parts of a fluid system – along with other jumpers on the station’s S6 and S4 truss, NASA said.
The jumper will allow NASA to refill some of the outboard thermal system ammonia later on, Bill Spetch, operations and integration manager with NASA's International Space Station program, said during the Jan. 6 press conference.
The mission is expected to start at 7:10 a.m. and will last for six hours and 30 minutes.
These spacewalks are the first Internation Space Station walks of 2026 and are the first to be conducted by Expedition 74.
The seven-member Expedition 74 crew poses for a festive portrait aboard the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module. In the front row, from left, are Kimiya Yui of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Mike Fincke of NASA, and Serge
What are astronauts doing on the spacewalk mission?
NASA held a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at its Johnson Space Center in Houston to preview the event and brief the public.
NASA discusses first two ISS spacewalks of 2026
NASA astronauts will conduct two spacewalks in January to conduct as series of tests and installations to the outside of the International Space Station.
Who is going on the spacewalk?
NASA astronauts with Expedition 74, Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, will conduct spacewalk 94.
Expedition 74 is a seven-person crew that began in December 2025 and will end in the summer of 2026.
Fincke, the expedition commander, and Cardman, a flight engineer, will work to install a solar array to provide more power to the orbital laboratory, including critical support of its safe and controlled de-orbit, NASA said.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 Commander Mike Fincke works inside the Tranquility module replacing orbital plumbing components on the waste and hygiene compartment, the International Space Station’s restroom. (Source: NASA)
This will be Cardman's first space walk and Fincke's 10th – tying him as the NASA astronaut with the most spacewalks with five other astronauts.
Fincke will be wearing a red suit with stripes and Cardman will be wearing an unmarked suit.
NASA has not announced which astronauts will conduct spacewalk 95. The astronauts will be announced after the Jan. 8 spacewalk, the agency said.
What's next:
After astronauts conduct the two January spacewalks, NASA plans to reboost the spacestation on Jan. 16, using the SpaceX CRS-33 capsule Cargo Dragon spacecraft.
This will be the final reboost using the capsule, Spetch said. After delivering over 5,000 pounds in supplies and research to ISS, the "dragon" will undock from ISS on Jan. 21, he said.
The HTV-X vehicle on board the ISS will also be packed up and be "un-birthed" and released in late January. The HTV-X carried 4.4 tons of research and supplies to the ISS, Spetch said.
In February, additional NASA astronauts, SPACEX Crew 12, will be sent to the ISS.
NASA astronaut and Expedition 74 Flight Engineer Zena Cardman is pictured in her pressurized spacesuit, checking its communication and power systems ahead of a spacewalk planned for Thursday, Jan. 8, 2025. At upper right, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Explo
What is the International Space Station?
The International Space Station, ISS, is a low orbit home and research facility for astronauts. The ISS, which was launched 25 years ago, brings together international flight crews, multiple launch vehicles, scientific research and more, NASA said.
In its 25 years, astronauts have conducted over 250 space walks, including five spacewalks in 2025. Here's a list of NASA's previous International Space Station spacewalks.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).