Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Spacewalk For Record 5.5-Hours; Send Records Tumbling

“NASA astronauts complete critical tasks during record-setting spacewalk; Williams now ranks fourth in NASA’s all-time spacewalking hours.”

January 31, 2025: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore achieved a significant milestone on Thursday, setting a new record during their 5.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). This marked Williams’ ninth spacewalk and Wilmore’s fifth, according to NASA.

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Williams has now amassed a remarkable total of 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalking time, placing her fourth on NASA’s all-time list.

During the spacewalk, the duo successfully completed key objectives, including removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the ISS truss and collecting surface material samples from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock for analysis.

LIVE: @NASA_Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are taking a spacewalk to maintain @Space_Station hardware and collect samples. Today's spacewalk is scheduled to start at 8am ET (1300 UTC) and go for about 6.5 hours. https://t.co/6pvzcwPdgs

— NASA (@NASA) January 30, 2025

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Stranded in Space: NASA Collaborates with SpaceX for Astronauts’ Return

The mission comes amidst ongoing efforts to bring the astronauts back to Earth after months of delay. Initially arriving at the ISS in June 2024 aboard Boeing’s Starliner for an eight-day mission, Williams and Wilmore have been stranded due to technical issues with the spacecraft.

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NASA announced in August 2024 that SpaceX would step in to bring the astronauts home in February 2025. However, their return was further postponed as SpaceX prepared a new spacecraft for the mission.

The update follows US President Donald Trump’s statement that SpaceX would “soon” launch a mission to safely repatriate the astronauts. NASA reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the crew’s return “as soon as practical.”

Historic Spacewalk

NASA commended the astronauts for their resilience and dedication, emphasizing the importance of their contributions to ISS maintenance and scientific research during their extended stay.

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Sunita Williams Spacewalk, Butch Wilmore NASA Record, ISS Spacewalk Mission, SpaceX Astronaut Return, NASA Space Records, International Space Station, Boeing Starliner Delay, Space Exploration Milestones