NASA astronauts prepare for two spacewalks

NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken on Friday will conduct a spacewalk to replace aging nickel-hydrogen batteries for one of the power channels on the International Space Station.

This is the first in a series of spacewalks while the SpaceX Crew Dragon is docked to the ISS.

Cassidy, the commander of Expedition 63, and Behnken, who joined the crew May 31 after arriving aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, will replace the nickel-hydrogen batteries with smaller, longer lasting lithium-ion batteries, part of a power upgrade that began in 2017.

Behnken and Doug Hurley flew to the station as part of a test flight for the new SpaceX human launch system. NASA has decided to keep them there longer to help with research and maintenance.

They will conduct a second similar spacewalk on July 1.

You can watch live coverage of the spacewalk on NASA TV, beginning at 6:00 a.m. EDT. The spacewalk itself will begin at 7:35 a.m. EDT, and will last as long as seven hours.