When Is Sunita Williams Coming To India? NASA Astronaut's Family Shares Details

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have finally returned to Earth after an extended nine-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS) due to unforeseen delays. Their spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon Freedom capsule, made a successful splashdown off the Florida coast near Tallahassee at 5:57 pm ET on March 18 (3:27 a.m. IST, March 19).

Following her safe return, Williams' family in India has confirmed that the NASA astronaut will visit the country soon. Talking to NDTV, her sister-in-law, Falguni Pandya, shared the family’s joy and relief, and said they were excited for her homecoming after an unexpectedly long mission in space.

Though an exact timeline for Williams' India visit has not been finalised, Pandya said that plans are underway. "We don't have exact dates, but she's definitely going to come to India soon. I hope this year," she said

Describing the experience of watching the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splash down off Florida's coast, carrying Williams, Pandya said, "That moment was surreal." She also said that the family was planning a vacation together to celebrate Williams’ return.

During her time in space, Sunita Williams remained connected to her roots.

Pandya added that she had sent Kaju Katli to Williams for her birthday on September 19, while she was in space. Also, when Pandya visited the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj earlier this year, Williams had asked her for photographs from the event.

Pandya recalled that Sunita Williams was the first astronaut to eat samosas aboard the space station, joking that a "samosa party" would be in order to celebrate her homecoming.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Sunita Williams to visit India. In a letter dated March 1, which was shared by Union Minister Jitendra Singh on social media, PM Modi expressed his admiration for her achievements. PM Modi noted that he had enquired about her well-being during meetings with Donald Trump and former US President Joe Biden.

PM Modi also mentioned Williams' father, late Deepak Pandya, in the letter. "I am sure that Late Deepak Bhai's blessings are with you as well. I fondly remember meeting him along with you during my visit to the united States in 2016," he wrote. 

"After your return, we are looking forward to seeing you in India. It will be a pleasure for India to host one of its most illustrious daughters," PM Modi added. 

Here’s PM Modi’s letter:

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore departed the ISS at 10:35 a.m. IST on March 16 for their 17-hour journey back to Earth. Their initial mission in June 2024 was planned as a short test flight for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, but propulsion system malfunctions extended their stay in space. Eventually, NASA reassigned them to the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, which saw their safe return.