X

NASA's first all-female spacewalk could happen this month

After a walk was canceled in March, astronauts on the International Space Station say they now have the necessary gear.

Shelby Brown Editor II
Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.
Credentials
  • She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
See full bio
Shelby Brown
christina-koch-nasa

Astronaut Christina Koch is also set to break a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.  

 NASA

Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir are set to make history Oct. 21 in the first all-female spacewalk. Aboard the International Space Station on Friday, the two answered questions on NASA TV about the assignment process. 

jessica-meir-nasa

NASA's Jessica Meir is set to take part in the first all-female spacewalk. 

 NASA/Victor Zelentsov

Meir said everyone on the ISS is fully qualified to perform the upcoming spacewalks and several partner combinations could happen, but everyone will get to go. Koch said that the final assignments aren't set in stone, but that there are enough properly sized suits this time.

NASA had planned the first all-female spacewalk for International Women's Month in March. That walk was scrubbed due to a lack of enough medium-size suits. NASA announced the change in assignment later that month and Koch did the spacewalk with fellow astronaut Nick Hague.  

Koch, who is set to break a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, said it's important to recognize women's achievements and representation in space.

Meir said, "It's really nice to see how far that we've come." 

NASA tweeted on Friday of six upcoming spacewalks. Meir said that during the walks they'll upgrade the ISS with new lithium ion batteries that'll better conserve the station's power supply. 

Astronauts Andrew Morgan and Luca Parmitano are also set to do spacewalks.