ISS finishes initial iROSA upgrade with two EVAs this month
Published by NASASpaceflight on 06/15/2023
The International Space Station’s iROSA (ISS Roll-Out Solar Array) solar panel upgrade, started in 2021, has finished its initial upgrade plan with the successful installation of the last two arrays this month. The arrays for the 1A and 1B power channels were brought to ISS aboard the CRS-28 Cargo Dragon flight and then installed in a pair of EVAs by NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg.
The iROSA project was started due to the ongoing degradation of the Station’s existing solar panels after years in low-Earth orbit. The original solar array complement, finished in March 2009 with the installation of the S6 truss, was capable of 240 kilowatts when new. However, the radiation environment in orbit has degraded the arrays to the point where they can now only generate 160 kilowatts.
