Sunita Williams set to perform her first spacewalk in 12 years to last over 6 hours, marking a new milestone in her space career

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is all set to carry out her first spacewalk in 12 years as part of a soon-to-launch

SpaceX Crew-6 mission

to the International Space Station. Renowned for pioneering space missions and her efforts for space research, Williams will perform several critical jobs outside the ISS during this next spacewalk, thus underlining her immense experience and supremacy in extravehicular activities that were always important to preserve and upgrade the working of space stations.

Sunita Williams and Nick Hague to perform spacewalk on January 16 to repair NICER X-ray telescope

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Nick Hague will go on spacewalk on 16 January during the mission to address a significant problem on the

NICER X-ray telescope

: a “light leak” degrading its ability to collect science data. In preparation, Williams has completed extensive training on Earth, simulating spacewalk conditions in state-of-the-art training facilities.
NICER is the first dedicated instrument to study high-energy X-ray phenomena like black holes and neutron stars. This will be the first time since the 2009 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission that a NASA observatory will be repaired on-orbit.

Apart from the work mentioned above, Williams and Hague will be involved in preparing for Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer upgrades when scheduled. Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer is a module onboard the International Space Station; its purpose has included studying various types of particles including cosmic rays, dark matter, and even antimatter among many others. It is sure that the upgrading process of the AMS by these astronauts will really impact the continual studies of cosmology.

Sunita Williams and Nick Hague to ensure ISS preparedness through vital spacewalks

Sunita Williams will perform her eighth spacewalk, and for Nick Hague, it will be his fourth. They will examine tools and access areas to make sure the ISS is fully operational and safe for its crew. Their work will involve evaluating the readiness of the station for upcoming maintenance missions as well as any other upgrades necessary to support human presence in space for extended periods. The crew members are scheduled for another spacewalk on January 23 to continue working on these essential upgrades.

Sunita Williams undergoes intensive training for spacewalks to ensure safety and mission success

Williams has also undergone intensive training on Earth simulating spacewalk conditions in special facilities. This training is intended to prepare her to handle some of the uniquely challenging aspects in performing tasks out of the confines of the ISS in space with vacuum conditions in which the hazards and intricacy of extravehicular activity are highly compounded. Pre-flight training on working in microgravity and a spacesuit is considered integral in the mission, with safety at heart, and it is, therefore, part of the performance in the course of the mission.
Because of safety concerns over the Boeing Starliner, which was meant to carry her back to Earth, Williams’s return has been pushed to March 2025. She had traveled to the ISS in June 2024 and was initially scheduled to return in February 2025. Now, due to the ongoing problems the Boeing Starliner is having, NASA has resolved to bring her back using a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The Starliner has encountered technical delays and has not been certified to carry humans yet; thus, NASA had a different alternative for the safe return of Williams.