It is the first of up to 11 space walks for cosmonauts while working on Nauka, a multipurpose lab module that includes additional space for research and bedrooms. The next spacewalk, which is expected to last about five hours, is scheduled for Sept. 9.
Nauka launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 21 and docked on July 29.
During Friday’s spacewalk, Novitskiy and Dubrov will connect cables for power, Ethernet and data between Nauka and Russia’s Zvezda service module. The two cosmonauts will install handrails and complete any leftover work for cable routing work during the Sept. 9 spacewalk.
For the two spacewalkers, Novitskiy will be member of the extravehicular crew 1 of the Russian space suit Orlan with red stripes and Dubrov will wear the space suit with blue stripes as a member of the extravehicular crew 2.
The exits will be the second and third spacewalk of Dubrov and Novitskiy, as well as spacewalk 242 and 243 in support of the assembly, maintenance and upgrade of the space station.
Meanwhile, a spacewalk scheduled for August 24, which was to include NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, will now take place on August 12. September, with some changes.
While no further details have been shared on the issue, other than the fact that it was not a medical emergency, Vande Hei will provide internal support during the Sept. 12 spacewalk as he continues to recover.
European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet will take his place alongside Hoshide. During the walk, Hoshide and Pesquet will install a modification kit that will be prepared for future Solar Array Roll-Out installation work.
According to NASA, this will be the first spacewalk carried out from the lab’s Blackboard Quest orbiting by two international partner astronauts at the space station.
A 360-degree virtual reality camera will film Hoshide and Pesquet during their spacewalk.
CNN’s Kristin Fisher contributed to this report.