Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams to fly to space again on first crewed mission of Boeing's Starliner - Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Indian-origin astronaut Captain

Sunita Williams

and her colleague, veteran

Nasa

astronaut Butch Wilmore, are set to embark on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the brand new

Boeing Starliner

spacecraft.

The launch, which marks the first crewed test flight of the Starliner, is set to take place at 10:34 p.m. EDT on May 6 (8:04 a.m.

IST on May 7) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If successful, this mission will establish Boeing as the second private company capable of providing crew transportation to and from the ISS.

The Starliner's journey to the ISS is expected to take approximately 26 hours, during which Williams and Wilmore will conduct a series of tests to ensure the spacecraft's readiness for NASA certification under the Commercial Crew Program.

Once docked, the astronauts will spend 8 days living and working on the ISS before undocking and returning to Earth on May 15. Unlike previous US capsules that splashed down in the sea, the Starliner will make a land-based touchdown in the western United States.

Williams, a 59-year-old retired US Navy captain from Needham, Massachusetts, has an impressive background in spaceflight. She holds a physical science degree from the US Naval Academy and a master's in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology.

During her first spaceflight, Expedition 14/15, Williams set a world record for women with four spacewalks. In total, she has spent 322 days in space across two missions and accumulated 50 hours and 40 minutes of EVA time on seven spacewalks. Wilmore, 61, has also logged significant time in space, with 178 days and 25 hours and 36 minutes on four spacewalks.

As part of its commitment to the ISS, Boeing has planned six manned missions for the Starliner over the next six years. NASA intends to use both

SpaceX

's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner to send astronauts to the ISS at least every six months from US soil.

Meanwhile, India is developing its own human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, led by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). The program aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission, with a safe return to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters. In February 2023, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi

announced the names of the four Indian Air Force pilots who will be part of the Gaganyaan mission, slated for launch in 2024-25.