Sunita Williams Sets Her Sights on New Horizons Following a Decade-Long Spacewalk Hiatus: “I’m Ready to Launch!”

Williams’ return to Earth with her companion astronaut Butch Wilmore has been delayed because of a technical issue. They were originally slated to return following a week-long mission in June 2024, but their return is now rescheduled for late March or early April.

To perform maintenance on the ISS on Thursday, Williams, an esteemed astronaut with numerous spacewalks under her belt from previous missions, collaborated with astronaut Nick Hague.

The duo ventured out to replace a reflector device on an international docking adaptor and fix patch light filters on the NICER X-ray telescope, along with the equipment controlling station orientation.

They were also set to inspect connection tools and access points necessary for future maintenance on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics research instrument attached to the ISS.

Meanwhile, NASA reported that Williams’ eighth spacewalk, which lasted six hours, proceeded without issues, and they accomplished the tasks they planned to complete. This marked her first spacewalk in 12 years.

As she prepared for the low-Earth orbit endeavor, Williams communicated via radio, “I’m coming out.”

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Sunita Williams to perform second spacewalk with Wilmore

Williams is scheduled to undertake a second spacewalk with Wilmore on January 23. Together, they will work to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly, which comprises parts utilized for transmitting and receiving radio signals, and collect surface samples for analyzing microorganisms.

Additionally, they will set up a backup elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, organizing it optimally for quick repairs if required.

Last June, Williams and Wilmore embarked on Boeing’s Starliner capsule with the intention of completing a week-long test flight. However, technological issues with the Starliner capsule delayed its return to Earth, prompting NASA to order the capsule’s return without crew.