Washington (AFP)

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet set off for the third time in his life on Wednesday, alongside American Shane Kimbrough, to install a new solar panel on the International Space Station, a complex and very physical operation. which should last about six and a half hours.

The two men float together again in zero gravity, having already carried out two spacewalks side by side in 2017, clinging to the Space Station spinning 400 kilometers above the Earth.

They activated the internal battery of their suit at 12:11 GMT, then opened the hatch of the decompression chamber of the ISS.

Thomas Pesquet came out into the void first, followed by his team-mate.

This extra-vehicular outing ("EVA"), the first since their arrival in the ISS at the end of April, is technically unprecedented.

The two "mechanics" will have to deploy a new generation solar panel, called iROSA, the first of a series of six panels intended to increase the energy production capacities of the ISS.

"We go out into the void, I will be transported by a robotic arm holding solar panels 3m long, we will plug them in and return to the Station 6.30 hours later," Thomas Pesquet tweeted a few hours before his release.

On Sunday, the same team will restart the operation to install a second one.

The pair were delivered by a SpaceX freighter: the panels are currently rolled up on themselves, and the mission of the astronauts is to secure them in the right place and deploy them.

- Million dollar equipment -

Before the opening of the airlock, NASA showed images of the duo preparing, encased in their spacesuits, assisted by their American colleagues Megan McArthur and Mark Vande Hei.

# photo1

This is the 239th spacewalk in the history of the ISS.

Unlike the two outings made by the same team-mates in 2017, this time the roles are reversed: Thomas Pesquet is "EVA 1", Shane Kimbrough "EVA 2".

"The n ° 1 is the chief in bulk. Now I am no longer the little youngster," commented the 43-year-old Frenchman.

"I can't wait for Thomas to be in this role and to be a good support," said his 54-year-old colleague.

For the American, this is the seventh spacewalk of his career.

"There is apprehension, it is years of work for hundreds of people, we do not want to make a mistake and break equipment that cost a million dollars", had entrusted Thomas Pesquet in his journal on board on France Inter radio.

The astronauts will divide up the tasks during the operation, meticulously choreographed by NASA.

Objective: to deploy the solar panels on the port side of the ISS, at the end of the mastodon as large as a football field.

Thomas Pesquet will retrieve the 350-kilogram object, then, moved by a robotic arm, will walk alongside the Station to pass it on to his sidekick.

Hanging on the arm by the feet, they will unfold the panel and its 19 meters long.

- "Tin can" -

The day will be trying.

"An EVA is like running a 100 meters over the duration of a marathon," Hervé Stevenin, in charge of training for these exits for the European Space Agency (ESA), told AFP.

"Working in a diving suit is extremely difficult. All the senses are limited, you lack dexterity with the gloves: holding a tool is like squeezing a tennis ball, hundreds of times for six hours," describes the instructor.

Despite a limited field of vision, astronauts must have a permanent "awareness of their surroundings that goes beyond everyday life".

Not to mention the discomfort: with the preparation time, they stay stuck for ten hours in their diving suit, like in a "tin can", with only a small pocket of water to drink.

No danger of them falling into the void, since a "triple security", including a cable connecting them permanently to the Station, prevents the nightmarish scenario of the film "Gravity" from happening in real life, reassures the expert.

# photo2

On the other hand, troublesome or even dangerous incidents can occur, such as the loss of tightness of the diving suit in the event of a micro-meteorite impact.

But "one does not have the impression to risk his life permanently", testified Thomas Pesquet, for whom the "EVA" represent a "dream within a dream".

"It feels like we're fixed, climbing with a big ball spinning under our feet. On my first ride, Shane told me + look around + because we didn't not raised the nose of the handlebars. Here I will try to do it ".

© 2021 AFP