Sunita Williams Returns to Earth Today After Extended ISS Mission
Indian-origin American astronaut Sunita Williams is set to return to Earth today after an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Washington: Indian-origin American astronaut Sunita Williams is set to return to Earth today after an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
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Sunita Williams to Splash Down Off Florida Coast
Williams, along with three other astronauts, will undock from the ISS in a few hours aboard the Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. US Eastern Time (3 a.m. IST on Wednesday), according to NASA.
The hatch of the Dragon spacecraft will be closed at 11:15 p.m. US Eastern (8:45 a.m. IST Tuesday), marking the official start of the crew’s return journey.
NASA will livestream the Dragon’s return as part of its NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, a joint initiative with SpaceX.
Mission Delayed Due to Technical Issues
Williams and fellow astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore were originally scheduled to return 10 months ago, at the end of what was meant to be an eight-day mission. However, due to technical issues, their return was delayed.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently commented on their prolonged stay, claiming:
“They were left up there for political reasons, which is not good,” Musk said in an interview with former US President Donald Trump on Fox News.
Sunita Williams: A Trailblazer in Space Exploration
Williams, who turned 60 in September 2024, is a renowned astronaut of Indian descent. She is the second Indian-origin American astronaut, following Kalpana Chawla, who tragically died in the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 2003.
Born in 1965, Williams is the daughter of Deepak Pandya, who hails from Gujarat, India, and Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (née Zalokar) from Slovenia.
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She first traveled to the International Space Station in 2006 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, marking the beginning of her illustrious career in space exploration.
NASA and SpaceX Strengthen Collaboration
The return of Sunita Williams and her fellow astronauts underscores NASA and SpaceX’s growing partnership in space exploration. With the NASA-SpaceX Crew missions, both organizations continue to push the boundaries of human space travel.
Stay tuned for NASA’s live coverage of Sunita Williams’ return to Earth.
