Sunita Williams prepares for first spacewalk in 12 years, repairs NICER telescope

Extended ISS stay for Williams, Wilmore (Image: NASA/X)

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is gearing up for a vital spacewalk on January 16, 2025. She will be preparing for the repair of the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray telescope. Williams and fellow astronaut Nick Hague will exit the Quest airlock to address a critical issue affecting NICER’s measurements.

NICER Telescope Repairs

The NICER telescope, located on the International Space Station, has been facing a significant problem. Since May 2023, sunlight has been entering damaged thermal shields. This has caused the X-ray detectors to become saturated, disrupting observations. To fix this, NASA has designed pie-shaped patches. These will block unwanted light and restore NICER’s ability to function.

Two @NASA_Astronauts will venture out of the @Space_Station on Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 to complete station upgrades. Get more details about the upcoming spacewalks from @NASA_Johnson experts in a news conference at 2pm ET (1900 UTC) on Friday, Jan. 10: https://t.co/QKYyrkaIAtpic.twitter.com/CrIBoh6ztv

NASA (@NASA) January 7, 2025

Spacewalk to Enhance Scientific Research

This repair marks the first time astronauts will service an X-ray telescope in orbit. It follows similar repair missions with the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to NICER repairs, another spacewalk will take place. Two astronauts will remove radio communication gear and collect microbial samples from the space station’s exterior.

These space missions are part of ongoing research into fire safety in space and weightlessness effects on exercise. As these vital repairs move forward, NASA underscores the importance of maintaining ISS scientific operations.