Astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were sent to NASA's International Space Station aboard a Boeing Starliner space capsule in June this year. Repeated helium leaks and other technical issues forced their week-long spaceflight to be extended for months. The Indian-origin astronaut will now return to Earth in 2025 onboard SpaceX's spacecraft.
"Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is expected to depart from the space station and make a safe, controlled autonomous re-entry and landing in early September," NASA said in a statement.
Amid repeated delays in the two astronauts' return spaceflight, there was news of side effects on their health because of their longer-than-expected stay in space. Sunita Williams's family recently reacted to the news of the delay in her spaceflight.
Bonnie Pandya, mother of Sunita Williams, also known as Suni Williams, recently reacted to the news of her daughter's extended spaceflight. Despite masive coverage of Sunita Williams' spaceflight delays and experts sharing their concerns, Pandya remain unbothered with the development as she see her daughter as a ‘seasoned astronaut’ who knows ‘what to do’.
“I don’t give her any advice. She knows what to do. She is a seasoned astronaut. She’s been up for over 400 days in space,” Pandya told NawsNation host Andrew Cuomo in an interview.
Pandya also shared her daughter's message with the news outlet. A few days back, while talking with her mother, Sunita Williams told Pandya to “not worry” and asserted that “everything will be fine.”
Sunita Williams's husband, Michael, reacted to the news of repeated delays from space. In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Michael said, "that’s her happy place.”
Astronauts typically rotate on and off over six-month periods. In addition to scientific investigations and maintenance, they conduct public outreach, such as live video question-and-answer sessions with students.
