Sequential Shunt Unit. Credits: NASA

Sequential Shunt Unit. Credits: NASA

Read more about the spacewalk with a detailed overview in this blog entry.

Watch the spacewalk live here.

ESA astronaut Tim Peake has been assigned a spacewalk, or Extra-Vehicular Activity, for 15 January. He will exit the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Tim Kopra to replace a failed Sequential Shunt Unit that regulates the power from the Station’s solar arrays. The Space Station has eight of these units so the failure is not critical but has been on the list for replacement.

The two Tims will work together to unbolt the failed unit on the Station’s truss and replace it with a new one.

Additional tasks include deploying cables for the future installation of an International Docking Adapter and retrieving a broken light from a truss camera.

This is the 35th NASA-led spacewalk for the International Space Station. Tim Peake is assigned as EV2. Tim Kopra is EV1 and will have red stripes on his spacesuit. Commander Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Sergei Volkov will assist on the inside of the Space Station with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman assisting from ground control.

Follow the spacewalk live via NASA television on the day itself with coverage starting at 11:30 GMT and the spacewalk starting at 12:55 GMT.

More information will be available from 12 January.

This video shows how Tim trained for this spacewalk.