What Is an All-Female Spacewalk
An all-female spacewalk is an extravehicular activity (EVA) in which only women perform tasks outside a spacecraft, typically the International Space Station (ISS). These EVAs involve replacing hardware, upgrading systems, and maintaining power and communications gear on the station's exterior. NASA and its international partners schedule these EVAs based on crew availability, mission priorities, and ISS maintenance timelines. All-female EVAs are not a separate mission type but a crew composition choice within regular ISS operations and commercial partner missions NASA.
The first all-female spacewalk took place on October 18, 2019, when NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir completed a battery replacement EVA. Since then, NASA has continued to include women in EVA crews as part of its broader crew rotation plans involving NASA astronauts, international partners, and commercial crew vehicles. The frequency of all-female EVAs depends on crew assignments, spacesuit availability, and scheduled ISS maintenance campaigns SpaceX.
Who Participates and How Crews Are Selected
NASA Astronauts and International Partners
NASA selects EVA crew members from its astronaut corps based on training, experience, and mission requirements. Women selected for all-female spacewalks typically have backgrounds in engineering, science, or military aviation and complete years of EVA training in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and other facilities. International partners such as the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) also train astronauts who can participate in ISS EVAs when assigned to crews ESA.
Commercial Crew and EVA Support
Commercial crew vehicles from SpaceX and Boeing transport NASA astronauts to the ISS, where they may be assigned to EVA teams based on mission timelines. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsules carry crew members who later train for station maintenance tasks, including EVAs. Boeing's Starliner, after its NASA certification process, is expected to contribute additional crew rotation options that can influence EVA crew composition Boeing Starliner.
Why All-Female Spacewalks Matter for Space Operations
Representation and Operational Planning
All-female spacewalks highlight the inclusion of women in critical technical roles within human spaceflight programs. NASA and its partners use these EVAs to demonstrate that crew composition can be balanced by skills and training rather than gender, supporting long-duration mission planning for the ISS and future lunar and Mars missions.
Future Implications for ISS and Beyond
As NASA moves toward Artemis lunar missions and commercial low Earth orbit destinations, all-female EVA crews are expected to remain part of standard operations. SpaceX's Starship and other commercial systems may support future station and lunar surface EVAs involving diverse astronaut crews. These developments continue to shape how agencies and companies plan crew assignments, spacesuit configurations, and mission timelines for long-duration spaceflight NASA Artemis.