After a 12-year hiatus, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams embarks on a spacewalk.

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Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, alongside her colleague Nick Hague, conducted a spacewalk from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, as reported by the US space agency. This marks Ms. Williams’ first spacewalk in twelve years and the eighth of her career, while it is Mr. Hague’s fourth. The mission, designated as US Spacewalk 91, is anticipated to last approximately six and a half hours. Mr. Hague, designated as spacewalk crew member 1, is outfitted in a suit adorned with red stripes, while Ms. Williams, serving as spacewalk crew member 2, is in a suit without markings. The two astronauts are engaged in essential maintenance tasks and hardware replacements, according to NASA. They are specifically supporting upgrades to the station, which includes repairs to the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope. NASA has indicated that Ms. Williams and Mr. Hague will replace a rate gyro assembly that is crucial for maintaining the station’s orientation control and will also install patches to address damage on the light filters for NICER. Additionally, they will replace a reflector device that is utilized for navigational data on one of the international docking adapters. Furthermore, the astronauts will inspect access areas and connector tools that are intended for future maintenance of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

NASA has announced a second spacewalk, set to commence at 8:15 a.m. on January 23. During this mission, Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams will undertake the removal of a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the station’s truss. Additionally, they will gather surface material samples from both the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to investigate the potential presence of microorganisms on the exterior of the orbital complex. The astronauts will also prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm, should a replacement become necessary. They are scheduled to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025. However, NASA has decided to postpone Crew 10 to allow for further preparation of the new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, thereby enhancing the safety of the astronauts. Recently, Ms. Williams expressed her desire to return home, acknowledging the time spent away from their families, while also emphasizing the importance of completing their tasks during their mission.