Anil Menon prepares tools and tethers for station spacewalks

Anil Menon configured tools and inspected tethers aboard the International Space Station on October 20, 2026, for his upcoming solar-array spacewalks with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, NASA’s station log records. Menon worked inside the Quest airlock.

The equipment work follows the October 19 spacesuit maintenance covered in this publication’s previous report. NASA’s earlier log recorded Menon cleaning cooling loops in two suits, Kutryk refilling their water systems, and a crew conference with mission controllers. The October 20 entry adds tools and tether preparation.

Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis to Ukrainian and Indian immigrants, according to NASA’s biography. The Indian-origin NASA astronaut joined the agency’s 2021 astronaut class and is an emergency medicine physician.

The Canadian Space Agency’s October 20 preview describes how the crew will move the new arrays: Canadarm2 will carry each rolled-up array from the station’s Mobile Base to its installation location. NASA astronauts Luke Delaney and Jessica Watkins are assigned to operate the arm, with Canadian ground teams supporting them.

Menon and Kutryk remain scheduled to venture outside on October 29 and November 5 to install roll-out solar arrays, both agencies’ October 20 accounts state. The installations are planned operations; the new NASA log documents preparation inside the station.