Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday for her first spacewalk in 12 years, alongside fellow astronaut Nick Hague. The spacewalk, designated as US Spacewalk 91, marks Williams’ eighth career extravehicular activity and Hague’s fourth.
The mission, expected to last approximately six and a half hours, involves critical maintenance and upgrades to the ISS. Wearing an unmarked spacesuit as spacewalk crew member 2, Williams worked alongside Hague, who donned a suit with red stripes as spacewalk crew member 1.
The duo’s tasks include replacing a rate gyro assembly, which supports the station’s orientation control, and installing patches on light filters for the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope. They are also replacing a reflector device used for navigation on one of the ISS’s international docking adapters.
NASA stated that Williams and Hague will assess access areas and connector tools required for future maintenance of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a key experiment aboard the ISS.
Second Spacewalk Scheduled for January 23
A second spacewalk is planned for January 23, during which Williams will team up with NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore. They will remove a radio frequency antenna from the station’s truss, collect surface material samples from the Destiny laboratory and Quest airlock to study potential microorganisms on the station’s exterior, and prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Extended Stay in Space
Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who were the first to ride Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the ISS, have now spent over 10 months in space due to delays in their planned return mission. Originally intended as an eight-day stay, their mission was extended after the Starliner was deemed unfit for human travel upon its return to Earth.
NASA announced that the astronauts will now return aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in late March 2025, following additional preparations for the Crew 10 mission. This adjustment, NASA emphasized, ensures enhanced safety for the astronauts.
Despite the extended stay, Williams remains committed to her mission. Reflecting on her time aboard the ISS, she recently stated, “I want to go home because we left our families a little while ago, but we have a lot to do while we’re up here.”
As Williams continues to work on key scientific and maintenance projects, her contributions underline the dedication of astronauts in advancing human understanding and sustaining the ISS’s role as a hub for groundbreaking research.
