Mike Fincke will perform his 10th career spacewalk on Jan. 8 from the International Space Station, a milestone that would tie Peggy Whitson’s NASA record. He will be joined by Zena Cardman, who will make her first EVA. A second NASA spacewalk is scheduled for Jan. 15 to replace a high-definition camera and complete work on the Harmony module. Both events will stream live on NASA+, YouTube, X and Amazon Prime.
NASA Astronaut Mike Fincke to Tie Agency Spacewalk Record This Week — How to Watch
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is set to make history this week when he steps outside the International Space Station (ISS) for what would be his 10th career spacewalk, tying him with Peggy Whitson for the most spacewalks by a NASA astronaut. Fincke will be joined by fellow NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, who will perform her first-ever extra-vehicular activity (EVA).
The Jan. 8 excursion is listed as the 278th spacewalk in the station’s history and is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. ET. NASA expects the outing to last about six and a half hours. The pair will conduct external work to prepare the station for future solar array installation and other station upgrades.
What to Expect
Fincke (in a red-striped suit) and Cardman (in an unmarked suit) will exit the station to complete key preparations for upcoming hardware. This Jan. 8 spacewalk is the first since two Russian cosmonauts conducted an EVA on Oct. 28, 2025.
Second January Spacewalk
A second NASA-led spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7:10 a.m. ET. Two additional NASA astronauts (names not yet announced) will replace a high-definition external camera and complete maintenance tasks on the station’s Harmony module.
How to Watch
Live coverage of both spacewalks will be available via NASA’s streaming app NASA+ and the agency’s YouTube and X channels. The events will also be available on Amazon Prime. Netflix, while it carries some live NASA coverage such as launches, is not promoting these spacewalks on its platform.
About the International Space Station
The ISS has orbited Earth in low-Earth orbit for more than 25 years, typically around 260 miles above the planet. Operated by an international partnership that includes NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency, the outpost has hosted more than 280 visitors from 26 countries, including roughly 170 from the United States.
About 356 feet long, the station features six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym and a 360-degree observation bay window. It can accommodate up to eight docked spacecraft at once and continues to serve as a laboratory for microgravity research and a destination for commercial missions.
Who’s On Board
There are currently seven people aboard the ISS. Recent arrivals include NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Mikaev and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, who reached the outpost at the end of November aboard Soyuz MS-28.
Also aboard are the four members of the joint NASA–SpaceX Crew-11 mission: Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman of NASA; Kimiya Yui of JAXA; and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos. Crew-11 launched on Aug. 1 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule lofted by a Falcon 9 rocket. The Crew-11 team's tenure aboard the station is approaching its end: Crew-12 is expected to relieve them as early as February.
Quick Facts: Jan. 8 EVA: 8:00 a.m. ET (~6.5 hours). Jan. 15 EVA: 7:10 a.m. ET. Live on NASA+, YouTube, X and Amazon Prime.
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