Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sunita Williams steps out for spacewalk after seven months in orbit

Sunita-Nick-Nasa

She was joined by fellow astronaut Nick Hague to perform overdue maintenance tasks as the ISS orbited 260 miles (420 km) above Turkmenistan. (Photo: NASA)

Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams, stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for more than seven months, ventured outside for a spacewalk on Thursday.

She was joined by fellow astronaut Nick Hague to perform overdue maintenance tasks as the ISS orbited 260 miles (420 km) above Turkmenistan.


This marked Williams' first spacewalk since arriving at the ISS in June 2024.

Originally part of a week-long mission aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule with astronaut Butch Wilmore, their return to Earth was delayed due to technical issues with the spacecraft.

Nasa deemed the Starliner unsafe for return and decided to bring them back aboard SpaceX's vehicle in late March or early April.

Thursday’s spacewalk involved repairing equipment that governs station orientation, patching light filters on the NICER X-ray telescope, and replacing a reflector device on an international docking adapter

Williams and Hague also checked access areas and connector tools for future maintenance on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. The spacewalk lasted about six and a half hours.

A second spacewalk is scheduled for January 23, during which Williams and Wilmore will remove a radio frequency antenna assembly, collect surface samples for microorganism analysis, and prepare a backup elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Nicole McElroy, a flight director at Nasa, said, “The crew on board has been studying their procedures, getting familiar with all of the tasks, and are really excited and looking forward to going out the door.”

Despite extended delays, the astronauts have continued their work while awaiting their return.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Imran-Khan-Getty

Imran Khan, founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been in jail since August 2023. (Photo: Getty)

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on human rights and democracy.

The nomination was announced by members of the Pakistan World Alliance (PWA), an advocacy group formed in December, who are also part of the Norwegian political party Partiet Sentrum.

Keep ReadingShow less
starmer-immigration

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Starmer said the government is working to restore order to the immigration system.

UK returns 24,000 illegal migrants since July, highest in eight years

THE UK government has returned over 24,000 individuals with no legal right to remain in the country since July, marking the highest rate of removals in eight years, prime minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

Speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, Starmer said the government is working to restore order to the immigration system.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer-Trump-Getty

Trump has suggested the possibility of a 'great' trade deal that could help the UK mitigate the impact of tariffs he has pledged to introduce. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer, Trump talk trade deal progress in 'productive' discussion

KEIR STARMER and Donald Trump spoke on Sunday about ongoing UK-US trade negotiations, with Downing Street describing the talks as "productive."

Since leaving the European Union, the UK has been working to secure a trade agreement with the United States. Successive British governments have pursued a deal, but it has remained elusive.

Keep ReadingShow less