# Is the ISS iROSA Upgrade Now Complete After EVA 96?

The mounting hardware is done — but two iROSA wings still need to reach the station.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon completed a 6-hour, 27-minute spacewalk on August 6, 2026, installing the seventh and final set of mounting hardware for the ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) program on power channel 3B, located on the starboard S6 truss segment. The upgrade program, which began in 2021, has now seen six of eight iROSA assemblies deployed on orbit, with two remaining — channels 3B and 2A — still awaiting hardware delivery to the station later this year. When the full iROSA complement is operational, NASA states the upgraded power system will increase the station's electricity supply by **20% to 30%** above its current degraded output. This is EVA 96 in U.S. history and the 281st spacewalk overall in support of ISS operations.

For satellite operators and infrastructure buyers tracking ISS as a [Low Earth Orbit (LEO)](https://orbital-intel.com/glossary/leo) platform, the power upgrade directly affects how much research and commercial payload capacity the station can sustain through its remaining operational life — and shapes the power architecture baseline that commercial successors will benchmark against.

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## What Work Was Completed in EVA 96?

Meir and Menon assembled triangular brackets and bolted together the modification kit structure on the 3B mast canister — the physical anchor point for a future iROSA wing. Once the structure was secured, the crew routed electrical cabling designed to carry power from the incoming iROSA into the 3B power channel. They finished by wrapping the exposed struts in multi-layer insulation to protect the hardware from micrometeoroid strikes — a non-trivial concern at ISS orbital altitude where debris flux is well-characterized.

Menon worked from an articulating portable foot restraint (APFR) atop a worksite interface (WIFEX), which provided a stable platform for torque-limited fastener operations on the truss — a standard EVA technique where body positioning directly affects torque accuracy and crew fatigue margins.

The spacewalk began at 8:33 a.m. EDT when the crew switched suits to internal battery power and concluded at 3:00 p.m. EDT, for an official duration of 6 hours and 27 minutes.

This was the first career EVA for Menon and the sixth for Meir, bringing her cumulative EVA time to **42 hours and 33 minutes** — a significant personal milestone placing her among the more experienced active EVA crews.

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## Why the iROSA Program Matters for ISS Power Architecture

The original ISS solar arrays were designed for a 15-year service life. They have long exceeded that baseline, and power output degradation is measurable. The iROSA wings do not replace the legacy arrays — they sit forward of the existing panels and augment generation capacity. This is a meaningful architectural distinction: NASA is layering new generation capacity onto an aging but still-functional substrate rather than executing a full swap, which would have required far more EVA time and logistical complexity.

The net result, per NASA, is a **20% to 30% increase** in total station power when all eight iROSA units are deployed and operational. For commercial payload customers — pharmaceutical research groups, materials science programs, and defense agencies running classified payloads on ISS — that headroom matters. More available watts translate directly to more active experiment time and higher-bandwidth data downlink operations.

Two iROSA units remain undelivered and undeployed: the one destined for the newly prepped 3B channel and one for the port-side 2A channel. NASA's source reporting indicates delivery is expected later this year.

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## Three More EVAs Scheduled for August 2026

EVA 96 is the first of three planned U.S. spacewalks for August under Expedition 75:

- **EVA 97 (Aug. 13):** Replace a space-to-ground antenna
- **EVA 98 (Aug. 25):** Connect power channel cables and data relay systems — work described as part of ongoing maintenance and preparations for the station's future [deorbit](https://orbital-intel.com/glossary/deorbit), plus replacement of a navigational aid used for spacecraft docking

EVA 98 is operationally significant beyond the routine. The explicit mention of deorbit preparation work signals that NASA is actively threading long-lead infrastructure modifications into near-term EVA schedules — consistent with the agency's stated timeline for transitioning ISS operations to commercial successors under the [Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD)](https://orbital-intel.com/glossary/commercial-leo-destinations) program.

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## Skeptical Read: Timing and Delivery Risk

The iROSA program has progressed steadily since 2021, but two hardware units still need to reach the station before the power upgrade is truly complete. Delivery schedules for ISS cargo are subject to launch vehicle availability and manifest priority — neither of which NASA controls unilaterally. If either resupply mission carrying the remaining iROSA hardware slips, the 3B modification kit installed in EVA 96 sits idle. The cabling is routed and insulated, but no power flows until the wing arrives, deploys, and is connected.

Additionally, the power upgrade's 20–30% improvement figure deserves scrutiny in context. That is an increase over the station's *current degraded output* — not over the original design specification. Buyers evaluating ISS payload capacity should request current available power-per-rack figures from NASA's ISS Program Office rather than assuming headline percentages map cleanly to their specific payload requirements.

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## Industry Trajectory: Power as the Constraint Variable for On-Orbit Infrastructure

The iROSA program is a direct data point for anyone designing future commercial space stations. Power generation and distribution has consistently been the binding constraint on ISS commercial utilization — not volume, not crew time availability in isolation. The fact that NASA is spending significant EVA budget in the station's late operational life to squeeze out an additional 20–30% of generation capacity underscores how power-constrained the platform has been.

For ventures like Axiom Space and Sierra Space building next-generation [Commercial LEO Destinations](https://orbital-intel.com/glossary/commercial-leo-destinations), the ISS iROSA execution record — both the engineering approach and the EVA labor cost — is a direct design input. Roll-out solar array technology itself has heritage applicability beyond ISS: the same deployment mechanism has informed proposals for lunar surface power systems relevant to the [Artemis Program](https://orbital-intel.com/glossary/artemis).

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## Key Takeaways

- **EVA 96 duration:** 6 hours and 27 minutes, completed August 6, 2026
- **Hardware installed:** 7th and final iROSA modification kit, on power channel 3B (starboard S6 truss)
- **iROSA status:** 6 of 8 arrays deployed since 2021; 2 wings (3B and 2A channels) still awaiting delivery
- **Power impact:** Full iROSA deployment will increase ISS electricity supply by 20–30% over current degraded output
- **Crew records:** First EVA for Menon; Meir's 6th, bringing her total to 42 hours and 33 minutes
- **EVA milestones:** 96th U.S. EVA, 281st ISS spacewalk overall
- **Upcoming EVAs:** EVA 97 on Aug. 13 (antenna replacement); EVA 98 on Aug. 25 (power/data relay + deorbit prep)
- **Commercial implication:** Power architecture decisions made on ISS today inform design baselines for next-generation commercial LEO stations

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## Frequently Asked Questions

**What is an iROSA and how does it work on the ISS?**
An iROSA (ISS Roll-Out Solar Array) is a flexible, roll-out photovoltaic array that deploys forward of the station's original legacy solar panels. Rather than replacing the aging arrays, it augments their output. The iROSA wings add generation capacity on top of what the original arrays still produce, with the combined system targeting a 20–30% increase in total station power over current degraded levels.

**How many iROSA units has the ISS installed as of August 2026?**
Six iROSA assemblies have been deployed since the program began in 2021. The seventh and eighth units are still awaiting delivery to the station. EVA 96 on August 6, 2026 completed installation of the final set of mounting hardware, preparing power channel 3B to receive its iROSA wing upon delivery.

**Who conducted the August 6, 2026 ISS spacewalk?**
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon. It was Menon's first career EVA and Meir's sixth, bringing her cumulative EVA time to 42 hours and 33 minutes. The spacewalk was designated EVA 96 in U.S. history and the 281st overall in support of ISS operations.

**Why does ISS power capacity matter for commercial payloads?**
Available electrical power directly determines how many active experiments and commercial payloads the station can run simultaneously. Power-per-rack limits constrain experiment cycle times, thermal management, and data downlink rates. The iROSA upgrade is intended to relieve that constraint through the station's remaining operational life.

**What is EVA 98 and why does it mention deorbit preparation?**
Scheduled for August 25, 2026, EVA 98 will connect power channel cables, replace a spacecraft docking navigational aid, and perform maintenance explicitly described as including preparations for ISS's future deorbit. This signals that NASA is actively integrating end-of-life infrastructure work into near-term EVA schedules, consistent with the agency's plans to eventually transition LEO human spaceflight operations to commercially operated successor stations.