Sunita Williams Soars Beyond Spacewalking Records

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams has broken the record for the most spacewalking hours by a woman, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes. Despite technical issues delaying her return from the ISS, Williams and her colleague, Butch Wilmore, successfully completed a crucial mission involving hardware removal and microorganism sampling.

Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Indian origin, has made history by setting a new record for spacewalking time by a woman, totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes. The achievement surpasses former astronaut Peggy Whitson's record of 60 hours and 21 minutes.

Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore were on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024. Their most recent spacewalk involved removing old radio communications equipment and gathering samples to check for microorganisms on the ISS's exterior. This marked Williams' ninth and Wilmore's fifth spacewalk, lasting 5 hours and 26 minutes.

NASA plans to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth in March via a SpaceX spacecraft after their return was delayed due to technical issues with their original Boeing Starliner mission.

(With inputs from agencies.)