NASA performs spacewalk to install solar array on space station

Dec. 22 (UPI) -- NASA astronauts on Thursday morning successfully attached a solar array on the International Space Station after a piece of space junk was determined to be flying dangerously close to the orbiting laboratory.

Astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio began the spacewalk at 8:19 a.m. EST to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, to augment power generation for the 4A power channel on the station's port truss structure. They completed their walk at 3:27 p.m.

The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%.

Space agency officials had postponed Wednesday's walk until they could nudge the space station safely away from the space debris.

NASA identified the space debris as from an old Russian Fregat upper-stage booster. The space station and the astronauts were moved safely away from the potential close call.

A Russian spacewalk at the ISS was canceled last week as they evaluated a coolant leak that was detected coming from the aft end of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked at the International Space Station, NASA said then.

This was the 257th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the third spacewalk for Cassada and Rubio.