Russian Cosmonauts Complete Second Spacewalk to Install New Experiments on ISS Exterior

Two Russian cosmonauts have completed their second spacewalk together, fitting new experiments and carrying out routine maintenance on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS). Roscosmos flight engineers and 73 Soyuz commander Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineer Alexey Zubritsky spent six hours and fifty-four minutes outside the station Tuesday (Oct. 28). The two devoted most of their day to work in the lower portion of the station's Russian Orbital Segment, where they left off at the end of an extravehicular activity (EVA) which had taken place just a few weeks ago.

Ryzhikov and Zubritsky Install Plasma Experiments and Service Equipment During ISS Spacewalk

As per the report of Roscosmos, the EVA began at 10:18 a.m. EDT when Ryzhikov and Zubritsky opened the Poisk Mini-Research Module-2 hatch. They used a telescoping crane known as the Strela boom to move to their first worksite on the Nauka module, where they installed a two-part apparatus for the Impuls and IPI-500 plasma experiments. These studies aim to understand how spacecraft engines interact with Earth's ionosphere and the potential for jet propulsion in space.

During the mission, Ryzhikov also cleaned a viewing window on the Nauka module by carefully opening and closing protective shutters. The pair then returned to service the Ekran-M experiment—installed during their earlier spacewalk—which studies the creation of ultra-thin materials for semiconductor use. After removing a loose gasket and inserting a replacement cassette, ground control confirmed that the experiment was returning quality data.

The astronauts moved the ERA control panel, avoided debris release ahead of HTV-X's arrival, and safely ended Expedition 73's third spacewalk. The EVA marked Ryzhikov's third and Zubritsky's second, totalling 20 and 13 hours, continuing the ISS's legacy of human-led maintenance.