NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams achieved a significant milestone on January 30, 2025, by breaking the record for the most spacewalking hours, surpassing former astronaut Peggy Whitson’s record of 60 hours and 21 minutes. The news was shared by the International Space Station (ISS) via a post on X, noting that Williams was still outside the station, continuing her spacewalk to remove radio communications hardware.
During the spacewalk, Williams was tasked with maintaining the ISS’s hardware and collecting surface material samples from the Destiny laboratory and Quest airlock for further analysis. This spacewalk, which was part of Expedition 72, began at approximately 8 AM EST. NASA also live-streamed the event on YouTube and its official website, marking the 92nd US spacewalk in history.
Williams, wearing the red-striped space suit, was accompanied by astronaut Butch Wilmore, who wore an unmarked suit. This spacewalk marked Williams’ ninth and Wilmore’s fifth. The event was expected to last about six and a half hours. Both astronauts joined the ISS in 2024 as part of Expedition 72, which began on September 23.
Controversy Over Delayed Return
Earlier in the week, SpaceX founder Elon Musk stirred controversy regarding the delayed return of astronauts Williams and Wilmore. Due to technical delays with their Boeing Starliner capsule, their return to Earth had been postponed, prompting Musk to comment 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.”
In response, former President Donald Trump expressed his frustration over the situation, claiming that the astronauts had been “virtually abandoned in space” and urging Musk to bring them home quickly. Musk’s remarks on the astronauts being “stranded” were later disputed by NASA, which clarified that while the return of Williams and Wilmore had been delayed, they were never in any danger. Their return could have been arranged at any time via a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
Spacewalk’s Importance Amidst ISS Operations
While Musk’s call for an early return raised eyebrows, experts noted that removing the astronauts prematurely could disrupt the ISS’s operations, as only one US astronaut would remain on board. Thus, Williams and Wilmore are expected to remain aboard the ISS until their scheduled return on the Crew 9 mission at the end of March 2025, completing nearly 300 days in space.