Canada

Joshua Kutryk becomes fifth Canadian to conduct spacewalk

The astronaut and a NASA colleague are installing new solar arrays to boost the station's power capacity.

By Elise Tremblay, Editor-in-Chief
October 29, 2026

HOUSTON · Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk began his first spacewalk on Thursday, becoming the fifth Canadian to perform the feat. Kutryk and NASA astronaut Anil Menon are installing new solar arrays on the International Space Station to upgrade its power generation system. The spacewalk started at 8 a.m. ET and is expected to last nearly seven hours. They are working on the station's port side truss structure, which serves as its structural backbone.

The pair will install eight solar arrays, called International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays. A second spacewalk is scheduled for Nov. 5 to complete the work. Once finished, the new arrays will increase the station's power capacity from 160 kilowatts to 215 kilowatts. The astronauts first released the rollout panels from an external pallet. Menon will attach himself to the Canadarm2 robotic arm to retrieve the panels and ride it to the installation site, while Kutryk stays tethered to the truss before joining to complete the job.

"It's ridiculously dangerous, but we're well-prepared," said Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, who was the last Canadian to conduct a spacewalk in 2019.

Canadian technology and personnel are playing prominent roles in the operation. CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons is serving as capsule communicator, or capcom, from the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Canadarm2 robotic arm, crucial to the station's construction, removed the arrays from a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft last week and moved them into position. During the spacewalk, it will help the astronauts move each solar array to its final destination. The CSA's Robotics Mission Control Centre in Longueuil, Que., is also involved.

Mathieu Caron, director of the CSA's astronaut office, said the mission demonstrates Canada's capabilities. "I think what it means for Canada is an acknowledgement of the important role that we've been playing as part of this international collaboration," Caron said. "There would be no way to accomplish this spacewalk without the help of Canadian robotics." Saint-Jacques described the spacesuit as more than clothing. "A spacesuit is not a piece of clothing. It's not like some, you know, winter suit," he said. "It's a miniature spacecraft in the shape of a human body that you have to fly."

Kutryk has trained extensively for the spacewalk, and the crew prepared suit checks over the past week. Saint-Jacques said Kutryk is a "stellar guy" who knows the procedure by heart. He said the biggest challenge will be "to take a moment to look around, look at Earth, just let it all sink in." Saint-Jacques added, "A spacewalk is, for many astronauts, it's the peak of their career." He also offered a message to Kutryk: "Josh, I know you're gonna do a good job. You've got this."

The spacewalk carries inherent risks, illustrated by a 2013 incident where European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet began filling with water. He returned to the station safely. Kutryk is on his first space mission, having launched to the station on Oct. 1 as part of the SpaceX Crew 13. Nosy Mag reported in October that he would join the six-month mission to conduct health experiments, research and maintenance work. He is expected to perform a second spacewalk later in the mission.

With files from The Globe and Mail, CBC News and CityNews