New York, Jan 30 (NationPress) – The US space agency NASA revealed on Thursday that Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Indian descent, along with her colleague Butch Wilmore, has commenced their second spacewalk dedicated to maintenance and scientific research.

According to a blog post from NASA, "Astronaut Suni Williams is undertaking her ninth career spacewalk, while Butch Wilmore is performing his fifth career spacewalk today."

This marks Williams' second spacewalk in a span of 12 years.

The initial spacewalk occurred earlier this month, where Williams collaborated with Nick Hague.

The current mission is projected to last approximately six and a half hours.

During this mission, the duo will be tasked with removing a radio frequency group antenna assembly from the space station’s truss, as stated by NASA.

Furthermore, they will collect surface material samples from the Destiny laboratory and the Quest airlock to investigate the potential existence of microorganisms on the outer surfaces of the orbital complex.

The astronauts will swab various sites outside the orbital outpost to gather samples of possible microbes for further examination.

Additionally, they will prepare a spare elbow joint for the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Williams is designated as crew member 1, sporting a suit with red stripes, while Wilmore is crew member 2, donned in an unmarked suit, as per NASA.

Both astronauts have been in space since June of last year, having been the first to fly on the faulty Starliner by Boeing.

Although NASA has not yet confirmed a return date, President Donald Trump has urged Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, to facilitate their return.

NASA responded by stating that it is "working expeditiously" and aims to bring them back "as soon as it is practical."