Anand Mahindra recently recalled a remarkable meeting with astronaut Sunita Williams, who had come back to Earth after a long nine-month space flight. What was originally intended as a short spaceflight became an extended sojourn because of technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Along with astronaut Butch Wilmore, she had to survive months of difficulties before being successfully returned by SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
After getting news of their successful return, Mahindra posted his relief and praise for Williams, writing on Twitter: “When the SpaceX rescue mission was embarked upon, I remembered this unplanned meeting a little more than two years ago with Sunita Williams in Washington. What an relief to watch her and her crew mates’ successful splashdown back on planet earth some hours ago. She is as bold as could be and we are glad to have her back among us. Swagatam, Sunita.”
Mahindra also posted a nostalgic selfie in Washington during a July 2023 gathering in which he posed with Mukesh Ambani, Vrinda Kapoor, and Williams.
When the SpaceX recue mission was launched, I recalled this chance encounter almost two years ago with @Astro_Suni in Washington.
It was an enormous relief to see her and her colleagues’ successful splashdown back on earth a few hours ago.
She is courage personified and… https://t.co/E64p9YX5t3
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 19, 2025
Williams had embarked on an eight-day spaceflight but spent over 270 days on the International Space Station because of a technical fault with their spacecraft. After exhausting efforts by engineers to correct the problems, Williams and Wilmore eventually returned to Earth with a spectacular splashdown off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
