Third Space Mission: Indian-Origin Astronaut Sunita Williams To Take Off On Expedition Again
Sunita Williams became part of NASA in 1998 when the space agency chose her as an astronaut.
Indian origin astronaut, Sunita Williams, is slated to be the pilot on the upcoming NASA Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. Her third space mission is scheduled for May 6 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:34 p.m. EDT (8 AM IST).
Earlier, she had been on Expedition 14/15 between December 9, 2006 and June 22, 2007, and Expedition 32/33 from July 14 to November 18, 2012.
In the upcoming mission, she, along with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, will fly the Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and dock at the orbiting laboratory. They will be present at the location for a week.
According to the space agency, this is the first crewed flight for the Starliner spacecraft.
"The mission will test the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system, including launch, docking, and return to Earth in the western United States. Following a successful crewed flight test, NASA will begin the final process of certifying Starliner and systems for crewed missions to the space station," said NASA.
Sunita Williams became part of NASA in 1998 when the space agency chose her as an astronaut. She has been a part of several on-ground trainings and missions during her tenure. She worked with the Russian Space Agency in Moscow on Russia’s contribution to the space station.
She participated in the MEEMO2 as a crew member and lived underwater for nine days in the Aquarius habitat. She has spent almost 322 days on her previous two missions in Space. She is gearing up and getting trained for her third visit.
People can watch the crew’s live arrival on NASA’s official YouTube channel and the website.