Roscosmos Spacewalk 64: Cosmonauts Install Semiconductor Experiment, Jettison Old HDTV Camera Outside The ISS

Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky successfully completed Roscosmos Spacewalk 64 (or VKD-64), the first extravehicular activity (EVA) of the year and the 276th spacewalk in ISS history outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 1710 UTC to 2319 UTC. They installed the Ekran-M semiconductor experiment on the Nauka module and jettisoned an outdated high-definition camera from the Zvezda module.

The spacewalk focused on scientific and maintenance work on the Russian segment of the ISS, particularly the recently integrated Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module and the Zvezda Service Module.

The spacewalk was conducted from the Russian segment of the ISS, with Expedition 73's Ryzhikov serving as commander and Zubritsky as flight engineer, both from Roscosmos. From inside the station, fellow cosmonaut Oleg Platonov operated the European Robotic Arm on the Russian segment to support the operations.

After configuring their tools, the two crewmates made their way to their first worksite, outside of the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Ryzhikov held onto the Ekran-M, or Molecular Beam Epitaxy experiment, while riding at the end of the European Robotic Arm (ERA), which was driven by cosmonaut Oleg Platonov from a workstation inside the space station.

The primary objective was the installation of the Ekran-M experiment, a drum-shaped molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) unit designed to grow ultra-thin semiconductor materials in microgravity, a process that can produce materials far thinner than those made on Earth.

Ryzhikov and Zubritsky installed the drum-shaped unit, ran power cables and mounted a swappable cassette. The experiment is intended to demonstrate the ability to produce such thin materials that can go from the microgravity environment of outer space to being used in semiconductors.

The experiment, which will use a changeable sample cassette, aims to advance future electronics, optics, and sensor technologies by leveraging the unique conditions of space.

After completing their primary task, the cosmonauts made their way to the Zvezda service module to remove and dispose of a high-definition television system that was originally a part of a Canadian commercial payload. Zubritsky then stood a the end of the European Robotic Arm and tossed the camera overboard, toward the rear of the space station, ensuring it would not come back in contact with the outpost.

"It is going so well," radioed Zubritsky as the camera disappeared into the shadow of Earth. "Jettison is complete."

Given its relatively small mass, (82 kilograms) and volume ( 0.6 by 1.4 by 0.7 meters), the jettisoned equipment will fall back to Earth and be destroyed during its reentry into the atmosphere.

The cosmonauts also retrieved an exposed materials sample from the Poisk module and cleaned a window on the service module to support ongoing research and station maintenance.

Roscosmos Spacewalk 64 began slightly later than anticipated, with the Poisk module hatch opening at 1710 UTC, about 20 minutes after the scheduled 1650 UTC start. Ryzhikov, serving as commander of Expedition 73 and wearing the Orlan spacesuit with red stripes for his second career spacewalk, led the effort. Zubritskiy, in the blue-striped suit for his first EVA, assisted throughout.

This spacewalk marked the second for Expedition 73 and the 276th in support of the ISS since 1998; it was Zubritsky's first EVA and Ryzhikov's second, bringing his total EVA time to 12 hours and 57 minutes.

Thursday's activities are part of broader efforts to enhance the functionality of Russia's contributions to the ISS, which has hosted continuous human presence since November 2000.