Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk to conduct his 1st spacewalk

The International Space Station is roughly 400 kilometres above Earth, moving at roughly 7.66 kilometres per second, and on Thursday, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk will be whizzing around Earth while working outside of it.

Kutryk, along with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, will conduct one of two spacewalks where they will install eight solar arrays. After the scheduled second walk on Nov. 5, these new arrays will increase the station’s power capacity from 160 kilowatts to 215 kilowatts.  

Canada is playing a prominent role in this spacewalk. 

CSA astronaut Jenni Gibbons will serve as capcom, or capsule communicator, from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

She has served as capcom a few times already, including during the Artemis II mission where Canadian Jeremy Hansen flew around the moon with three NASA astronauts.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut and backup Artemis II crew member Jenni Gibbons served as capsule communicator (capcom) during an Orion manual piloting demonstration on the fourth day of the mission. (Bill Stafford/NASA)

Then there’s Canadarm2, the robotic arm that was crucial in the construction of the ISS, and which is used to move supplies and catch cargo spacecraft.

It already removed the arrays, called the International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs), from a SpaceX Dragon cargo earlier last week. It later moved them into position on the station’s mobile base. 

And finally, the CSA will also be involved at its Robotics Mission Control Centre in Longueuil, Que.

During Thursday’s spacewalk, Canadarm2 will help Kutryk and Menon pick up and move each solar array from the mobile base to its final destination. Kutryk won’t be riding the arm. Instead it will be Menon.

NASA astronauts perform a spacewalk to install an International Space Station Roll Out Solar Array with the assistance of the Canadarm2 robotic arm in 2022. (NASA)

The whole spacewalk is a demonstration of Canada’s capabilities in space, said Mathieu Caron, director of CSA’s astronaut office. 

“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,” he said, noting spacewalks and capcom shifts are important roles that wouldn’t be assigned to just anybody.

“There would be no way to accomplish this spacewalk without the help of Canadian robotics.”

No walk in the park

“It’s ridiculously dangerous, but we’re well-prepared,” said CSA astronaut David Saint-Jaques, who was the last Canadian to conduct a spacewalk in 2019.

“It is a shocking feat of teamwork. But it’s an amazing experience to be basically your own little satellite of the Earth.”

And he notes that the spacesuit is more than just something you wear.

“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.”

CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk takes part in a spacewalk training session at Johnson Space Center in Houston. (NASA)

There was a close call with European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano during a 2013 spacewalk, when his helmet began filling with water. He was able to return to the safety of the ISS shortly after.

But Kutryk has trained long and hard for this spacewalk, and the crew prepared the suit checks over the past week.

While the hours’ long spacewalk will no doubt be daunting, Kutryk will be able to see the world — the universe — as few on Earth have.

“A spacewalk is, for many astronauts, it’s the peak of their career,” Saint-Jacques said, noting that even thinking about his spacewalk sends shivers down his spine.

He also offered a message to Kutryk: “Josh, I know you’re gonna do a good job. You’ve got this.”

Saint-Jacques says Kutryk is a “stellar guy” who knows the procedure by heart, having practised it several times. He says the biggest challenge will be “to take a moment to look around, look at Earth, just let it all sink in.”