Roscosmos Spacewalk 66 was broadcast live as cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev completed a five-hour EVA to install a solar radiation experiment on Zvezda and remove hardware from Poisk and Nauka. The livestream included helmet-cam footage, dramatic exterior views of the ISS and Earth, and a tense finish as the crew raced against an earlier-than-expected sunset. The pair also photographed Progress 94 to help diagnose a failed antenna deployment; this was the 279th ISS spacewalk.
Roscosmos Live-Streams Five-Hour Spacewalk From ISS as Crew Battles a Tight Sunset Window
This video shows that in space, even small chores can be beautiful and dramatic. (Credit: NASA)
On Wednesday, Roscosmos live-streamed a full five-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) from the exterior of the International Space Station. Identified as Roscosmos Spacewalk 66, the outing featured cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev performing planned maintenance and science tasks on the Russian segment of the station.
Primary Tasks and Visuals
According to NASA's summary, the main objectives were to install a solar radiation experiment on the Zvezda service module and to remove various scientific hardware from the Poisk and Nauka modules. The live feed documented the crew methodically completing these assignments while providing striking visuals: wide views of Earth, detailed shots of the station's exterior, and helmet-cam footage that shows the cosmonauts’ point of view.
Tense Finish: Racing the Sun
Near the end of the broadcast the timeline tightened unexpectedly: the spacewalkers were warned that sunset was approaching faster than planned. At the time they were retrieving a towel and a window squeegee—items a previous EVA had secured to the station exterior—and using a towel to wipe down parts of their suits and gloves before re-entry. What would be a trivial chore on Earth became time-sensitive in orbit, underscoring how small tasks can carry real tension in space operations.
aurora shot iss
Progress 94 Images and Troubleshooting
The cosmonauts also photographed the Progress 94 cargo ship, which in March failed to deploy an antenna used for its automatic docking system. Kud-Sverchkov had previously taken manual control to complete that docking. Engineers hope the new high-resolution images will help diagnose the antenna deployment malfunction.
Context and Legacy
This was the 279th spacewalk conducted in support of the International Space Station, part of an ongoing series of maintenance and upgrades that keep the outpost habitable and productive. The recent stream joins other impressive imagery produced aboard the station, including an aurora and faint nebulae photographed by Japan’s Kimiya Yui through a station window.
Separately, a planned U.S. Spacewalk (nominally Spacewalk 95) scheduled for January was postponed following a medical evacuation involving members of that team; the outing—intended to service an HD camera and install new external gear—has not yet been rescheduled.
With the ISS approaching its planned end of service and limited appetite for extending funding, only a finite number of spacewalks remain. That makes live, high-resolution streams and firsthand perspectives from missions like Spacewalk 66 especially valuable while the station continues operating.
Credit: Roscosmos / NASA livestream and mission summaries.
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