NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is set to conduct her second spacewalk in two weeks, this time accompanied by Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore. The duo will exit the International Space Station on January 30 for a 6.5-hour long spacewalk, aiming to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly and search for microbes on the orbital outpost .
This spacewalk marks Williams’ ninth extravehicular activity, following her successful eighth spacewalk on January 16. During that mission, she replaced critical hardware and repaired the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope.
Williams and Wilmore arrived at the Space Station in August 2024 for an eight-day mission aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. However, technical glitches forced NASA to return the spacecraft empty, extending their stay to nearly seven months. They are expected to return to Earth in March 2025.
The upcoming spacewalk will see the duo spend around six-and-a-half hours outside the station, with Williams becoming the first woman to fly on a flight test of an orbital spacecraft when the Starliner launched to orbit in June 2024 .
As Space Station Commander, Williams has been preparing for the spacewalk by reviewing procedures and servicing her spacesuit helmet. The astronauts have also checked the fuel and power capacity of their SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue) system, which would enable them to maneuver back to the station in case of an emergency.
