NASA's official announcements or press releases

NASA Astronauts Complete Six-Hour Spacewalk, Repair NICER X-ray Telescope on ISS

Jan 16, 2025, 06:01 PM

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Nick Hague completed a six-hour spacewalk on January 16, 2025, marking the 273rd spacewalk in support of the International Space Station (ISS). This was Williams' eighth spacewalk and Hague's fourth. The primary objectives included repairing the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope by installing patches to cover damaged areas of light filters, replacing a rate gyro assembly that controls the ISS's orientation, and replacing a reflector device on one of the international docking adapters. The astronauts also prepared the area around the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer for future maintenance. The spacewalk took place as the ISS sailed 260 miles above Turkmenistan. Williams, who has been aboard the ISS for over seven months, completed her first spacewalk in 12 years, bringing her total spacewalk time to over 56 hours. Williams and Butch Wilmore were originally scheduled for a week-long mission but have been delayed due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner capsule. They are now expected to return to Earth via SpaceX's Crew Dragon in late March or early April 2025. Williams is scheduled for another spacewalk on January 23.