Nasa astronaut Anil Menon achieved a major milestone in his space career on Thursday by undertaking his first-ever spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalk, designated US Spacewalk 96, began at 8.33 am and was scheduled to last about 6.5 hours. Meir, who was making her sixth spacewalk, served as EV-1 wearing the spacesuit with red stripes, while Menon, on his maiden EVA, served as EV-2 in an unmarked suit. Menon, a physician and mechanical engineer selected by Nasa in 2021, is of Indian origin with family roots in Kerala. Nasa has scheduled two more US spacewalks this month as part of its continuing effort to modernise the ISS power system and communications infrastructure.