Hoorah!

The all-female spacewalk, once cancelled, will launch this Thursday or Friday!

A malfunctioning battery on the ISS is causing critical issues, meaning Jessica Meir and Christina Koch will be sent up to replace the old unit with a new one. This isn’t the first malfunctioning unit, as one had also failed this year. NASA aren’t sure what the causes were, and have had to cancel installations until they figure out what’s going on.

Koch has undergone three previous spacewalks. She has been training as an astronaut since 2013, and has contributed to the creation of many of NASA’s scientific instruments. Meir is a doctor of marine biology, also training since 2013, and has dedicated a lot of time researching human physiology.

The Expedition 61 gallery if full of amazing and some goofy pictures. I recommend you take a look!

The spacewalk is part of expedition 61, which launched on the 3rd of October. On board are six astronauts, Meir and Koch included. 61’s commander, Luca Parmitano, is the first Italian commander aboard the ISS!

Expedition 61 is both Koch and Meir’s first spaceflight, and the spacewalk will be Meir’s first spacewalk, so good luck to both of you!