WASHINGTON, Dec 30– NASA said it will hold a briefing on Jan. 6 to preview two spacewalks scheduled outside the International Space Station in January, aimed at preparing for new solar arrays and completing maintenance tasks.

The briefing, set for 2 p.m. EST at Johnson Space Center in Houston, will feature Bill Spetch, operations integration manager for the ISS program, and spacewalk flight directors Diana Trujillo and Heidi Brewer.

NASA said astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman will conduct the first spacewalk on Jan. 8 to prepare the station’s 2A power channel for future installation of roll‑out solar arrays. The upgrade is expected to boost power supply and support safe deorbit operations. It will be Cardman’s first spacewalk and Fincke’s 10th, tying him for the most by a NASA astronaut.

A second spacewalk is planned for Jan. 15, when two astronauts will replace a high‑definition camera, install a new navigational aid called a planar reflector on the Harmony module, and relocate fluid system jumpers on the station’s truss segments. NASA will announce the crew members and start times closer to the operation.

The activities will be the 278th and 279th spacewalks in support of ISS assembly, maintenance and upgrades, and the first two of 2026 under Expedition 74.