Today’s spacewalk is only the first of two missions to replace ageing batteries on the International Space Station.
NASA spacewalk: How to watch the ISS mission live:
The battery replacement work is the culmination of power upgrade spacewalks that began in January 2017
NASA
Although today’s space mission is taking place 250 miles (400km) above Earth, you can catch all the action from the comfort of your home.
NASA TV is providing live coverage of the event today, June 26.
The spacewalk itself was scheduled to begin at 11.35am BST (6.35am EDT).
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However, the astronauts were slightly delayed and did not actually commence the walk until 12.30pm BST. (7.30am EDT).
As NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy – wearing a spacesuit with red stripes – was exiting the airlock, his wrist mirror floated away.
Fortunately, the incident was deemed as no danger to the mission or ISS crew.
They is plenty of time to watch the event it as the gruelling repair work could last as long as seven hours.
NASA spacewalk: Why are astronauts conducting ISS mission?
The ISS’s 228th mission is being conducted by NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken.
The intrepid pair are on a spacewalk today to replace old nickel-hydrogen batteries outside the ISS.
NASA said: “The spacewalking astronauts will replace aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for one of two power channels on the far starboard truss (S6 Truss) of the station with new lithium-ion batteries that arrived to the station on a Japanese cargo ship last month.
“The battery replacement work is the culmination of power upgrade spacewalks that began in January 2017.”
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Battery replacement while wearing cumbersome spacesuits is an extremely complex job.
The mission is focussed on both the starboard and port sides of the station’s truss structure.
This is where the basketball court-sized solar arrays are located.
The solar arrays slowly rotate around the truss structure and track the sun, but are locked into place during the spacewalks.
The batteries store and distribute power collected from solar arrays on the station’s Port-6.
Chris Cassidy will be extravehicular crew member 1, wearing the spacesuit with red stripes.
Robert Behnken will be extravehicular crew member 2, wearing the spacesuit without stripes.
ISS astronauts have been working to replace 48 of the batteries since 2017.
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