Indian-origin NASA astronaut, Sunita Williams, who has been abroad the International Space Station (ISS) for over eight months now, is set to return to spacewalks after 12 long years on 16th of this month, alongside Nick Hague to repair the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope.
The mission will address a critical issue caused by sunlight seeping through damaged thermal shields, which has been disrupting key observations of neutron stars.
The duo will exit the Quest airlock to tackle the problem that has been interfering with NICER’s observations. The spacewalk marks a historic first where astronauts will be servicing an X-ray telescope in orbit. In addition to repairing NICER, Williams and Hague will also remove outdated radio communication equipment and collect microbial samples from the ISS’s exterior. These tasks are part of ongoing research into fire safety in space and the effects of weightlessness on exercise.
Earlier, NASA had announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will remain in space until at least March 2025, following a delay in the launch of their replacements.