Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Alexei Zubritsky have completed the first spacewalk of 2025 from the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS), according to Roscosmos.
The six-hour, 11-minute mission lasted longer than planned and involved installing scientific equipment to grow ultra-pure semiconductor crystals, removing a high-resolution camera, cleaning a porthole, and retrieving a cassette container.
The operation used Russia’s new Orlan-MKS spacesuits with upgraded adjustable safety tethers for added flexibility and safety. The installed equipment forms part of the Ekran-M experiment, which tests growing high-purity gallium arsenide films, key components for solar cells.
If successful, the project could lead to orbital mini-factories capable of producing photovoltaic materials in space. Roscosmos confirmed another spacewalk by the duo is planned within two weeks.
A high-stakes dance in zero gravity
Russian cosmonauts Alexey Zubritsky and Sergey Ryzhikov perform a spacewalk from the International Space Station
Check out the moment the ISS gets bathed in sunlight pic.twitter.com/NYh35DXeoE
— RT (@RT_com) October 16, 2025
