Today, October 28, a pair of cosmonauts from the Russian space agency Roscosmos will perform a significant spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). The event is expected to last approximately six hours, beginning at around 10:20 a.m. EDT (14:20 GMT). Space enthusiasts can catch the live action either here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or stream it directly through the agency’s platforms. Coverage of this exciting event will kick off at 9:45 a.m. EDT (13:45 GMT).
Cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy will focus on critical tasks during this spacewalk. They will be installing experimental hardware on the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module and relocating a control panel for the European robotic arm attached to Nauka. According to NASA News Chief Cheryl Warner, these tasks are vital components of ongoing mission operations, which is why they are proceeding despite the current government shutdown impacting most of NASA's activities.
This spacewalk marks the second time in less than two weeks that Ryzhikov and Zubritskiy have ventured outside the ISS. The duo previously conducted an extravehicular activity on October 16, where they successfully installed a semiconductor experiment and discarded an outdated HDTV camera. Today’s mission will be the third spacewalk for Ryzhikov, who will don a spacesuit with red stripes, while Zubritskiy will wear a suit featuring blue stripes.
Today’s spacewalk will also be notable as it represents the 277th overall spacewalk in the history of the ISS. The station has been continuously hosting rotating astronaut crews since November 2, 2000, making this event a remarkable milestone in space exploration history.
Stay tuned as we bring you live updates and coverage of this extraordinary feat of human ingenuity and collaboration in space. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness the advancements in science and technology as cosmonauts continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible beyond our planet.
