Sunita Williams prepares for first spacewalk in 2025, mission to last over 6 hours   

NASA astronauts Commander Sunita Williams and Nick Hague will conduct the first spacewalk of 2025, scheduled for January 16. This mission, named US Spacewalk 91, will take place outside the International Space Station (ISS) and is expected to last approximately six-and-a-half hours. 

During the spacewalk, the astronauts will perform essential maintenance and upgrade tasks on the ISS. The primary objectives include replacing a rate gyro assembly crucial for the station's orientation control, as well as servicing the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope. 

NICER will be the first NASA observatory repaired on-orbit since the last servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. From its perch near the space station’s starboard solar array, NICER studies the X-ray sky, including erupting galaxies, black holes, superdense stellar remnants called neutron stars, and even comets in our solar system. 

Hague and Williams will also prepare the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future enhancements. This instrument plays a key role in advancing our understanding of cosmic phenomena. 

This spacewalk will be Williams’s eighth and Hague’s fourth. For easy identification, Hague will wear a spacesuit with red stripes, while Williams will wear an unmarked suit. 

The mission is part of a series of planned spacewalks designed to improve the ISS's functionality and safety. In addition to their main tasks, the astronauts will inspect access areas and tools for future maintenance. 

A second spacewalk is scheduled for January 23, continuing the upgrades and maintenance work. 

These spacewalks are crucial for ensuring the ISS remains operational, supporting ongoing scientific research. NASA will provide live coverage of the event, marking a significant step in the ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance the ISS as a hub for scientific discovery and international collaboration in space exploration. 

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams, currently on the International Space Station (ISS), has described it as her “happy place” and said she enjoys her time there, even though her mission has been extended unexpectedly. Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore were originally scheduled to spend eight days in orbit after launching aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5. However, due to technical issues, their stay has been prolonged to eight months. 

Despite the delay, Williams expressed comfort with station life, as both she and Wilmore had previous experience on the ISS. “This is my happy place. I love being up here in space,” she said. Although they hoped to complete their mission on the Starliner, Williams added, “You have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity.”