NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Completes First Spacewalk Since Extended Stay on ISS

NASA astronaut Suni Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), completed her first spacewalk since her extended mission began seven months ago. Williams, alongside astronaut Nick Hague, ventured outside the station on Thursday to perform essential maintenance tasks, marking her first spacewalk since being delayed on her return trip to Earth.

Williams, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, had initially been scheduled to return to Earth in June 2024 after a week-long mission. However, technical issues—including malfunctions with the spacecraft's thrusters and helium leaks—delayed their return, pushing it to late March or possibly April 2025.

On the spacewalk, Williams and Hague worked on various repairs, including fixing equipment that helps maintain the station's orientation and patching light filters on the NICER X-ray telescope. They also replaced a reflector device on an international docking adapter and inspected tools that will be needed for future maintenance on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics module on the ISS.

Williams will conduct a second spacewalk on January 23 with Wilmore. The duo will remove a radio frequency antenna assembly and collect surface samples for microorganism analysis, among other tasks. They will also prepare a backup elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, ensuring it’s ready for a quick replacement if necessary.

Each spacewalk is expected to last around six and a half hours. NASA is providing live coverage of the events, and preparations for the spacewalks have been going smoothly, according to Flight Director Nicole McElroy.

Despite the delays and technical setbacks, Williams and Wilmore continue to carry out their work aboard the ISS, looking forward to their eventual return to Earth.