NASA finally sets date for Sunita Williams' return in March

 

 

California: The return journey of Indian-origin Sunita Williams, who has been on an eight-day mission and has been on the International Space Station (ISS) for eight months, has finally been decided. NASA has announced that Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, who were stranded on the ISS, will return to Earth by mid-March. NASA had earlier thought that they would be able to return only by the end of March or April.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been on the International Space Station since June 2024. The two left for the ISS on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5. However, due to a malfunction in the Starliner's propulsion system, a leak, and a leak, the two were unable to return to Earth on time after the eight-day mission. NASA tried to bring the two back several times, but the return trip was postponed due to the risk of the Starliner being damaged. NASA and Boeing then landed the Starliner unmanned in New Mexico on September 7, 2024. With this, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore had to remain on the ISS for about 250 days. In the meantime, Sunita Williams set the world record for the longest spacewalk by a woman.