Sunita Williams

Nasa pushes back Sunita Williams' return, mission now set for Spring 2025

The US space agency has delayed the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore from the ISS again. Due to spacecraft issues, their stay has been extended until Spring 2025

Sunita Williams completes 6 months in space, to remain on ISS till February

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore just completed six months on the International Space Station, on a mission which was initially scheduled for just one week

NASA's Sunita Williams' health deteriorates amid ISS mission extension

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Wilmore's health conditions deteriorated after six months in space, health experts raised concern

US elections: Sunita Williams, fellow astronauts to cast vote in space

US elections 2024: Nasa has established a process to allow astronauts to vote while in orbit, ensuring they are not left out of this democratic exercise

Why astronaut Sunita Williams couldn't return on SpaceX's homebound capsule

From short-term visitors to station commanders: Williams and Wilmore has embraced life on the ISS following gas leak and thruster problem that compromised their capsule's safety

Nasa's SpaceX Crew-8 mission delayed due to adverse weather; what's next?

As per Nasa's latest communication, the weather remains less than ideal for a planned undocking. Forecasts indicate that conditions may become more favourable later in the week

SpaceX launches rescue mission for 2 Nasa astronauts stuck in space

SpaceX launched a rescue mission for the two stuck astronauts at the International Space Station on Saturday, sending up a downsized crew to bring them home but not until next year. The capsule rocketed into orbit to fetch the test pilots whose Boeing spacecraft returned to Earth empty earlier this month because of safety concerns. The switch in rides left it to NASA's Nick Hague and Russia's Alexander Gorbunov to retrieve Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Since NASA rotates space station crews approximately every six months, this newly launched flight with two empty seats reserved for Wilmore and Williams won't return until late February. Officials said there wasn't a way to bring them back earlier on SpaceX without interrupting other scheduled missions. By the time they return, the pair will have logged more than eight months in space. They expected to be gone just a week when they signed up for Boeing's first astronaut flight that launched in June. NASA ultimately decided that ..

Sunita Williams takes command of ISS as Nasa prepares rescue mission

A celebrated figure in space exploration, Sunita Williams holds the record for the most spacewalks by a woman and has accumulated over 322 days in space across several missions

Stuck astronauts make 1st comments after Boeing capsule leaves without them

Stuck-in-space astronauts Butch Wilmore and Indian-origin Sunita Williams said Friday they appreciated all the prayers and well wishes from strangers back home. It was their first public comments since last week's return of the Boeing Starliner capsule that took them to the International Space Station in June. They remained behind after NASA determined the problem-plagued capsule posed too much risk for them to ride back in. Wilmore and Williams are now full-fledged station crew members, chipping in on routine maintenance and experiments. They along with seven others on board welcomed a Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American earlier this week, temporarily raising the station population to 12, a near record. The two Starliner test pilots both retired Navy captains and longtime NASA astronauts will stay at the orbiting laboratory until late February. They have to wait for a SpaceX capsule to bring them back. That spacecraft is due to launch later this month with a ..

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft returns to earth with no one onboard

After months of turmoil over its safety, Boeing's new astronaut capsule departed the International Space Station on Friday without its crew and headed back to Earth. NASA's two test pilots stayed behind at the space station their home until next year as the Starliner capsule undocked 260 miles (420 kilometres) over China, springs gently pushing it away from the orbiting laboratory. The return flight was expected to take six hours, with a nighttime touchdown in the New Mexico desert. "She's on her way home," astronaut Sunita Williams radioed after Starliner exited Williams and Butch Wilmore should have flown Starliner back to Earth in June, a week after launching in it. But thruster failures and helium leaks marred their ride to the space station. NASA ultimately decided it was too risky to return the duo on Starliner. So the fully automated capsule left with their empty seats and blue spacesuits along with some old station equipment. SpaceX will bring the duo back in late Februar

Nasa unravels the mystery behind 'strange noises' on space station

Over the weekend, astronaut Butch Wilmore reported a 'strange' pulsing sound from the Starliner craft

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore report strange noise in Boeing's Starliner

The Nasa astronauts reported a pulsating sound coming from the faulty Starliner spacecraft just days ahead of its scheduled unmanned departure from the ISS for its return to Earth

Sunita Williams assures mother of safe return amid extended space mission

Originally planned as a week-long mission, Sunita Williams' stay has been extended by several months due to repeated helium leaks and other technical challenges

Veteran Navy pilots, now astronauts, to stay for more time at space station

The two astronauts who will spend extra time at the International Space Station are Navy test pilots who have ridden out long missions before. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been holed up at the space station with seven others since the beginning of June, awaiting a verdict on how and when they would return to Earth. NASA decided Saturday they won't be flying back in their troubled Boeing capsule, but will wait for a ride with SpaceX in late February, pushing their mission to more than eight months. Their original itinerary on the test flight was eight days. Butch Wilmore Wilmore, 61, grew up in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, playing football for his high school team and later Tennessee Technological University. He joined the Navy, becoming a test pilot and racking up more than 8,000 hours of flying time and 663 aircraft carrier landings. He flew combat missions during the first Gulf War in 1991 and was serving as a flight test instructor when NASA chose him as an ...

NASA to decide on Aug 24 if Boeing's new capsule safe to fly 2 astronauts

NASA said Thursday it will decide this weekend whether Boeing's new capsule is safe enough to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, where they've been waiting since June. Administrator Bill Nelson and other top officials will meet Saturday. An announcement is expected from Houston once the meeting ends. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing's Starliner on June 5. The test flight quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers debated what to do. SpaceX could retrieve the astronauts, but that would keep them up there until next February. They were supposed to return after a week or so at the station. If NASA decides SpaceX is the way to go, Starliner would return to Earth empty in September. Engineers are evaluating a new computer model for the Starliner thrusters and how they might perform as the capsule descends out of orbit for a touchdown in the U.S.

Nasa astronauts could vapourize to death if they return on faulty Starliner

Former US military Space System Commander, Rudy Ridolfi, lays down three possible scenarios of the stranded astronauts' return to earth onboard Starliner. Here's all you need to know

Sunita Williams faces radiation, muscle loss risk on extended ISS mission

Prolonged exposure to space radiation can lead to multiple health problems such as an increased risk of cancer, tissue damage, and complications in the nervous system

Could Sunita Williams stay stranded in space till Feb 2025? Nasa weighs in

Nasa is now considering a backup plan that could see astronaut Sunita Williams return aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon, but not before February 2025

Nasa delays Spacex Crew-9 mission as Boeing's Starliner struggles continue

The Starliner has been docked at the ISS for seven weeks longer than expected due to thruster issues and helium leaks, delaying its return to Earth

Nasa begins final countdown of Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore's return

The Boeing Starliner needs to be undocked from the International Space Station to accommodate the Crew-9 mission set to launch no earlier than August 18