Jan 05, 2016 03:42 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

After becoming the first British astronaut aboard the International Space Station, Tim Peake will become the first British astronaut to perform a spacewalk.

Accompanied by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, Peake will replace a Sequential Shunt Unit situated on the ISS' exterior on Friday, Jan. 15. The SSU is an electric box that controls voltage for the ISS' solar arrays and it shorted on Nov. 13, BBC News reported.

Whereas Peake has not even spent a month aboard the ISS, Kopra previously performed two other spacewalks in the last three weeks.

"Our primary task will be to replace a failed Solar Shunt Unit, which transfers electrical power generated by the solar panels," Peake said in a European Space Agency news release. "I am thrilled at this opportunity for a spacewalk. Right now we are focusing on preparing the tools, equipment and procedures.

"Maintaining the International Space Station from the outside requires intense operations - not just from the crew, but also from our ground support teams who are striving to make this spacewalk as safe and efficient as possible," he said. "If the spacewalk is successful, this will restore the International Space Station to 100 percent of its operational capability."

Peake has recently made headlines for (probably) being the first astronaut to say, "God save the Queen" from space, responding to Her Majesty's well wishes. Peake also traded pleasantries on Twitter with Elton John and plans to run in the London Marathon on a treadmill with a monitor in front of him to simulate the course.

However, he has also been keen to let his followers know he is working during his six-month tour.

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