Indian origin astronaut Sunita Williams will be embarking on her third space mission with Butch Wilmore. They are getting ready to launch on NASA’s Boeing crew flight test to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 6th.
Williams is currently undergoing training for her third mission on the International Space Station. Her training is specifically focused on preparing her to serve as the pilot for the Crew Flight Test mission on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. This mission will mark the first time the vehicle is carrying a crew.
The astronauts will take off on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which will be launched by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Once they reach the orbiting laboratory, they will dock and stay there for about a week.
This mission, being a part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, signifies the first-ever manned journey for the Starliner spacecraft. Its primary objective is to thoroughly assess the spacecraft’s functionalities, encompassing the entire process from launch to docking, and culminating in its safe return to the western United States. Following a triumphant crewed flight test, NASA will proceed with the conclusive steps of certifying the Starliner and its systems for forthcoming manned missions to the space station.
Sunita Williams has an accomplished career with two past space missions, specifically Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.
Renowned for her exceptional achievements, Sunita Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, to Deepak Pandya, an Indian-American neuroanatomist from Mumbai, and Bonnie Pandya (nee Zalokar), an Ursuline of Slovene-American descent.
In June 1998, she was chosen to be an astronaut by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US space agency. Her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy was granted to her from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987. According to NASA, Williams has accumulated a total of 322 days in space during her two missions. Ranking second among female astronauts in terms of total cumulative spacewalk time, she has spent 50 hours and 40 minutes outside the spacecraft.
In September 2007, Sunita Williams paid a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat, India. During her visit, she was honoured with the prestigious Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award by the World Gujarati Society. This recognition marked a significant milestone as Williams became the inaugural individual of Indian heritage, who was not an Indian citizen, to receive this esteemed accolade.
