NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams achieved a historic milestone on January 30, 2025, by breaking the spacewalking record previously held by former astronaut Peggy Whitson.
The International Space Station (ISS) shared the news on X: “NASA astronaut Suni Williams just surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson’s total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes today. Suni is still outside in the vacuum of space removing radio communications hardware.”
Williams, during this remarkable spacewalk, conducted maintenance work on the ISS and gathered material samples from the Destiny laboratory and Quest airlock for scientific analysis. This mission was part of Expedition 72, with the spacewalk beginning around 8 a.m. EST. NASA broadcast the event live on YouTube and its official website, marking the 92nd US spacewalk.
Wearing a suit with red stripes, Williams was accompanied by fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, who wore an unmarked suit. It was Wilmore’s fifth spacewalk and Williams’ ninth. The operation, expected to last six and a half hours, is part of their mission as part of Expedition 72, which began on September 23, 2024.
The astronauts’ extended stay on the ISS has been the subject of political controversy. SpaceX founder Elon Musk recently stirred debate by commenting on the delayed return of Wilmore and Williams due to technical setbacks with their Boeing Starliner capsule. Musk wrote on X: “The President has asked SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the ISS as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”
Former President Donald Trump joined the debate on Truth Social, saying, “I have asked SpaceX founder Elon Musk to go get the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!”
However, NASA and space experts have refuted the “stranded” narrative, emphasizing that while the return was delayed, the astronauts were never in any danger. NASA confirmed that a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has always been available for their safe return.
Wilmore and Williams are currently scheduled to return on the Crew 9 mission at the end of March 2025, completing nearly 300 days in space. An early return, as suggested by Musk, could disrupt crucial ISS operations, leaving only one US astronaut on board to manage vital tasks.
(Inputs from ANI)