NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Walk on Space: When is Return Planned

Sunita Williams, one of NASA's two stranded astronauts, took her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station (ISS) more than seven months ago on Thursday, enjoying a much-needed change of scenery.

The commander of the station, astronaut Williams of Indian descent, teamed up with NASA's Nick Hague to take on long-overdue maintenance outside the station.

Key Tasks Completed During NASA's Spacewalk 

The astronauts carried out several important tasks, including:

• NICER Repairs: Upgrading the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope.
• Rate Gyro Replacement: Installing a new rate gyro to help control the ISS's orientation.
• Docking Adapter Maintenance: Replacing a reflector device on the international docking adapter for navigation.
• Future Preparations: Checking tools and areas for upcoming maintenance on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

NASA called this mission essential for keeping the ISS running smoothly and extending its lifespan.

There are plans for Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore to go out again the following week.

When Will Astronaut Sunita Williams Return from Space

Originally intended to be a week-long test flight, Williams and Wilmore had launched aboard Boeing's new Starliner capsule in June last year. Their stay was prolonged by problems with the Starliner, though, and NASA ordered the capsule's return without any passengers.

SpaceX faced additional delays when they postponed the launch of their replacements, leaving astronauts Williams and Wilmore stuck until late March or early April—ten months after their original launch date.

NASA’s First Spacewalk in Months

Following the cancellation of a spacewalk last summer, this was NASA's first astronaut spacewalk. When water leaked into an astronaut's suit airlock due to a cooling loop problem, US spacewalks were briefly suspended. The problem has since been fixed by NASA.

This was Williams' eighth spacewalk, further building on her vast experience, as she has also previously lived aboard the space station.

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