Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams has set a new record for the longest cumulative spacewalking time by a woman, reaching 62 hours and 6 minutes.
Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024, conducted a spacewalk on Thursday. Their mission involved removing degraded radio communication hardware and collecting samples to determine if microorganisms exist on the station’s exterior.
The spacewalk, which began at 7:43 AM Eastern Time (ET) and ended at 1:09 PM ET, lasted 5 hours and 26 minutes. It marked Williams' ninth spacewalk and Wilmore’s fifth.
With this achievement, Williams surpassed former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record of 60 hours and 21 minutes. She now ranks fourth on NASA’s all-time list for total spacewalking hours.
Williams, 59, has a history of remarkable achievements. In 2012, she became the first astronaut to complete a triathlon in space, simulating swimming with a weight-lifting machine and running on a treadmill while secured by a harness.
She and Wilmore had initially traveled to the ISS for an eight-day mission aboard Boeing’s Starliner in June 2024. However, technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, rendered the spacecraft unsafe for their return.
NASA now plans to bring them back to Earth in late March using a SpaceX vehicle, as Boeing works to resolve Starliner’s technical problems.
Despite these delays, Williams and Wilmore continue their work aboard the ISS, contributing to ongoing research and maintenance while awaiting their safe return.
