Thu Jan 30 12:58:25 UTC 2025: **NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams to Conduct 9th Spacewalk**
HOUSTON, TX – January 30, 2025 – NASA astronaut Sunita Williams will conduct her ninth spacewalk today, marking her second extravehicular activity (EVA) since arriving at the International Space Station (ISS) last June. This will be NASA’s 92nd spacewalk.
Williams, the current ISS commander, will be joined by fellow astronaut and Flight Engineer Barry Wilmore. Their primary objective is to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the ISS. They will also be tasked with searching for microorganisms on the orbital outpost.
This spacewalk follows Williams’ eighth EVA on January 16, 2025, where she and fellow astronaut Nick Hague performed repairs and replaced hardware on the ISS, including work on the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope.
Williams and Wilmore originally arrived at the ISS on June 6, 2024, aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Their return to Earth was delayed by a technical issue, a helium leak in the spacecraft, forcing them to remain at the ISS for the past seven months. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed that President Trump had requested their assistance in returning the astronauts safely to Earth, a mission Musk stated will be completed shortly.
NASA will provide live coverage of the spacewalk beginning at 5:00 PM EST today on NASA+. The spacewalk itself is officially scheduled to commence at 6:30 PM EST when Williams and Wilmore switch their spacesuits to battery power.
First Piper 