Sunita Williams breaks record for longest spacewalk time by woman

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Astronaut Sunita Williams breaks the record for total spacewalking time by a woman, logging 62 hours and 6 minutes, surpassing Peggy Whitson's previous record of 60 hours and 21 minutes.

Stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024, Williams and Butch Wilmore completed a spacewalk on Thursday.

During this activity outside the station, they removed faulty radio equipment and collected samples to examine for microorganisms on the ISS’s outer shell.

"NASA astronaut Suni WIlliams just surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson's total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes," NASA said in a post on X.

The initial mission duration for Williams and Wilmore was set for just eight days but extended to an unprecedented 238 days, prompting discussions about the precautions needed for astronauts' well-being during such extended stays.

NASA stated that it has recognized the challenges of this prolonged mission and is working closely with SpaceX to ensure a safe return for the astronauts.