- Astronaut Sunita Williams sets New Spacewalking Record of over 60 Hours
- Williams completes her 9th Spacewalk for 6.5 Hours
- Astronauts Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore to Return by March 2025
NASA announced that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams have completed their second spacewalk for maintenance and scientific research. The mission, expected to last six and a half hours, surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson's total spacewalking time.
The astronauts worked on removing antenna assemblies, collecting material samples, and preparing a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Their return is expected in March or April 2025 aboard SpaceX's Crew-10 mission.
Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams set a new record for spacewalking, spending 60 hours and 21 minutes outside the International Space Station during her ninth spacewalk for over 6.5 hours on January 30, 2025. NASA live-streamed the event, featuring Williams in a red-striped spacesuit and Wilmore in an unmarked one during their spacewalk.
The International Space Station shared on social media handle X stating "NASA astronaut Sunita Williams surpassed astronaut Peggy Whitson's total spacewalking time. She is still outside, working on removing radio communications hardware."
Astronauts Sunita and Butch embarked on a short mission to space in June 2024 but technical issues delayed their return. NASA plans to return astronauts Sunita Williams and Wilmore to the International Space Station by late March or early April 2025, having spent nearly 300 days in space. Williams has faced physical challenges adjusting to Earth's conditions, highlighting the physical impact of long-term space travel for future Mars missions.
