(Update: Completed) Spacewalk underway to install space station upgrades: Watch live

NASA astronaut Raja Chari and astronaut Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency (ESA) began a spacewalk today at 8:32 a.m. EDT to install a new thermal system and electronics components on the International Space Station. The spacewalk is underway and will last approximately 6 hours, 30 minutes.

The duo is installing hoses on a Radiator Beam Valve Module that routes ammonia through the station's heat-rejecting radiators to keep systems at the proper temperature. 

Astronauts Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron are tasked to assist Maurer and Chari in and out of their spacesuits and monitor their external activities.

.@Astro_Raja flies on the @CSA_ASC #Canadarm2 to his next workstation while @astro_matthias routes an ethernet cable. pic.twitter.com/MQxNAuiEAC

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) March 23, 2022

Live coverage of the spacewalk is available on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

Last week, Barron and Chari completed a spacewalk to prepare the space station for upcoming solar array upgrades by assembling and installing modification kits. The March 15 spacewalk lasted for 6 hours and 54 minutes.

Update

Maurer and Chari concluded their spacewalk at 3:26 p.m. EDT. It was the 248th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the second in Chari's career and the first for Maurer, NASA said.