New Delhi: NASA Astronaut Dr. Mike Massimino today at the NXT Conclave said that efforts are being made to safely bring back NASA astronauts Indian-origin Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, which were stranded in the International Space Station for over 125 days, to the Earth within this March.
“We are putting efforts to send the capsules in March to bring back her safely within March of this year. Process in this regard is underway of sending the capsule. Both astronauts including Sunita Williams will be brought back six days after the capsule reach there,” he told The Daily Guardian on the sidelines of NXT Conclave held at the Bharat Mandapam in the national Capital.
Primarily, they were supposed to return home through the Boeing Starliner capsule but following some technical issues the NASA would use the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for the purpose.
NASA initially planned for astronauts Williams and Wilmore to return in late March or April. However, in middle of February, they announced a SpaceX capsule switch, advancing their return to mid-March. This change shortens their ISS stay by at least two weeks, adjusting the schedule for upcoming missions.
Sunita Williams, an American astronaut, has had multiple missions in space. She flew to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in December 2006 for her first mission, STS-116, and later traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of long-duration missions.
She is an American astronaut, retired U.S. Navy officer, and one of the most experienced spacewalkers with nine spacewalks (second most for a woman) and a total time of 62 hours and 6 minutes (fourth overall, most by a woman). Williams was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. In 2012, she served as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33.
In 2024, she returned to the ISS on the Boeing Crew Flight Test, the first crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner. As such, from August 2024 until March 2025, Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are pivoting ahead to undertake various scientific experiments and maintenance tasks aboard the International Space Station.
Indians, in general, are quite excited and happy on this development and shared their views with the The Daily Guardian.
Kolkata-based youngster Naheed Fatima said, “It’s a very proud moment for all the Indians. We look upto Sunita and prayed for her safety”.
“Just because of her, I believe girls are getting inspired to explore their career in the space sector,” Shillong-based Fini Daris told The Daily Guardian on the sidelines of the event.
On the other hand Priya Bhakat, who is from West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, is extremely surprised on the delay of her safe return. She believed that premier agency like NASA should made some endeavors in the very beginning to curtail the length of the stay.
“They (NASA) should work on such delays. They are not normal,” Bhakat added.
