U.S. SPACEWALK AT ISS (3 OF 3), December 22, 2022, Earth orbit, 8:30 am ET

Update, December 21, 4:30 pm ET:  The spacewalk has been rescheduled for tomorrow, December 22, 2022, at 8:30 am ET. NASA TV coverage begins 7:00 am ET.

Update, December 21: The spacewalk was cancelled at the last minute because a piece of debris from a Russian Fregat upper stage was predicted to come within a quarter of a mile of the space station and a debris avoidance maneuver was required.  NASA is assessing when the next spacewalk opportunity is available.

Today’s spacewalk to install solar arrays has been postponed due to orbital debris tracking near the station. The crew is not in any immediate danger and a new date for the spacewalk will be assessed. https://t.co/uY65pjPC2V

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) December 21, 2022

Update, December 17: NASA confirms it’s a morning spacewalk. So NASA TV coverage begins at 6:30 am ET for a 7:45 am ET spacewalk.

Update, December 16: the spacewalk has been postponed two days, to December 21, because NASA will use Canadarm2 on December 18 to inspect Soyuz MS-22, which experienced a coolant leak on December 14.

The NASA TV schedule as of December 17 says the spacewalk will begin at 7:45 am ET, but NASA TV coverage begins at 6:30 pm ET. We’ll try to clarify the time.

Update, December 3:  NASA tweeted that the third spacewalk indeed will be on December 19.

The third and newest roll-out solar array (iROSA 3A) has been installed and unfurled on the station’s Starboard truss segment and is generating power. A fourth roll-out solar array will be installed on another spacewalk planned for Dec. 19. https://t.co/yuOTrZ4Jut pic.twitter.com/DilEe0GTDz

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) December 3, 2022

Update, November 27:  The NASA TV schedule now shows this spacewalk, which was to take place on December 1, as “no earlier than December 19.” The time is TBD.  (The November 28 spacewalk is now on December 3.)

Update, November 26:  NASA says the spacewalks scheduled for November 28 and December 1 are postponed. No new date was announced.

“Following the scrub of SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply cargo launch from Tuesday, Nov. 22 to Saturday, Nov. 26, two spacewalks to install International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs) will be postponed. Mission managers are evaluating new dates for the next two U.S. spacewalks. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft will deliver the iROSAs, which will increase electrical power to support station operations and scientific research when installed.”

Original Entry: Now that NASA has cleared the U.S. spacesuits for routine use, it is planning three spacewalks in a row at the International Space Station. They are scheduled for November 15, November 28, and December 1, 2022.

As of November 3, NASA had not identified which astronauts would conduct the latter two spacewalks or the start times.

More information is in the November 3, 2022 NASA press release, which is excerpted below:

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio will exit the station’s Quest airlock to assemble a mounting bracket on the starboard side of the station’s truss assembly. Live coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 6:30 a.m. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and last about seven hours.

Cassada will serve as extravehicular crew member 1 (EV 1) and will wear a suit with red stripes. Rubio will serve as extravehicular crew member 2 (EV 2) and will wear the unmarked suit. The spacewalk will be the first for both Cassada and Rubio.

The bracket and other hardware for the spacewalk is targeted to launch Sunday, Nov. 6, on the agency’s next Northrop Grumman Cygnus commercial resupply mission. The iROSAs will be installed on future spacewalks after delivery aboard the agency’s SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply mission scheduled to launch Friday, Nov. 18.

The next two U.S. spacewalks are scheduled on Monday, Nov. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 1. On Nov. 28, two astronauts will install an iROSA for the 3A power channel, and on Dec. 1 a pair of astronauts will install an iROSA on the port truss for the 4A power channel. These will be the third and fourth iROSAs out of a total six planned for installation. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.

NASA will confirm astronaut roles and start times for the Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 spacewalks after the first spacewalk is completed. Follow the space station blog for the latest updates.