Koichi Wakata Set for 2nd Spacewalk on ISS Mission

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:55 JST, February 1, 2023

Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata is scheduled to embark on his second extravehicular activity (EVA) following his initial spacewalk in late January for a mission to lay groundwork for the installation of upgraded solar power-generation panels on the International Space Station, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Tuesday.

Wakata, 59, is slated to exit the spaceship’s confines at 10:15 p.m. Japan time on Thursday for about 6½ hours to continue work from the previous Jan. 20 EVA, which lasted more than 7 hours. That spacewalk, which was the first of Wakata’s long career, was in tandem with the same American astronaut with whom he will be paired in the upcoming mission.