【】UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2016, 2:04 p.m. EDT

UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2016, 2:04 p.m. EDT 。 Astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams are back in the International Space Station after a 5 hour and 58 minute spacewalk. The two astronauts successfully installed a new docking adaptor on the outside of the station which will allow commercial vehicles to come into port on the orbiting laboratory.。

The parking spot, in essence, ushers in a brand new era of American spaceflight after the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.。

"Congratulations to the entire team," Williams said after installing the docking adaptor with Rubins.。

You can read more about the docking adaptor and other updates below.
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You can read more about the docking adaptor and other updates below.。

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。 UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2016, 10:41 a.m. EDT 。

NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams have just finished a good portion of the installation of the new docking mechanism on the International Space Station.。

Now, the two spacewalkers are going to work on reconfiguring cables to make the port functional for Boeing and SpaceX when the arrive as early as next year.。

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The International Docking Adaptor on the International Space Station.Credit: NASA TV。 The International Docking Adaptor on the International Space Station.Credit: NASA TV。

UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2016, 8:07 a.m. EDT 。The spacewalk officially started at 7:04 a.m. ET.。Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.。

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For a clean feed of the spacewalk with commentary from mission control today, use the window directly below. NASA TV's main feed (embedded lower in the post) will have additional commentary and educational information.。

On Friday, two astronauts will step outside of the International Space Station to go on a little walk in space to install what NASA has called a new "parking spot" on the space lab.。

NASA's Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins are planning to don their bulky spacesuits and leave the relative safety of the space laboratory in order to install a new docking mechanism on the outside of the orbiting outpost, but this isn't just any ordinary docking system.。

SEE ALSO:NASA's GoPro-armed astronauts take you on a spacewalk 。

The International Docking Adaptor, once installed, will allow commercial spacecraft carrying astronauts to come into port at the Space Station.。

This installation needs to happen soon because the private spaceflight companies Boeing and SpaceX are planning to start flying astronauts to the station under a contract with NASA as soon as next year, a first for any private company working with the space agency.。

You can watch Rubins and Williams install the docking adapter in the window below Friday starting at 6:30 a.m. ET when NASA TV coverage of the spacewalk begins. (The two astronauts won't officially start the spacewalk until around 8:05 a.m. ET, but NASA will air their prep work before that.)。

The spacewalk is expected to take about 6.5 hours, during which time the two astronauts will float along the station working to secure the International Docking Adaptor, brought to the lab during a SpaceX cargo run to the station earlier this year.。

This will mark Williams' fourth spacewalk and Rubins' first.。

Once the docking adaptor is installed and SpaceX and Boeing start flying to the Space Station, it will restore NASA's ability to bring its own astronauts to the lab from U.S. soil.。At the moment, astronauts like Rubins and Williams have to rely on Russian spacecraft to ferry them to and from the International Space Station, but once Boeing and SpaceX start flying -- assuming congressional support for the program holds -- that reliance will end.
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