Sunita Williams' Return To Earth: Date, Landing Details And All You Need to Know
Williams and Wilmore flew to the ISS on June 5 last year using a Boeing Starliner. However, their week-long mission stretched far longer due to technical issues.
After a prolonged delay, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams (59) and Butch Wilmore (62) are scheduled to return to Earth in late March. Williams flew to space in June last year for an eight-day mission that ended up extending for over eight months due to technical issues.
According to NASA, the duo will be replaced by Crew 10 at the International Space Station (ISS) on Mar. 12. They will return a week later after completing the necessary handover.
The Crew 10 astronauts are Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot. They will be accompanied by mission specialists, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut, Kirill Peskov.
When Will Sunita Williams Return To Earth?
Crew-10 will travel using the Dragon spacecraft, marking its 11th flight with astronauts. Powered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the Dragon spacecraft can carry up to seven passengers. While Williams and Wilmore are expected to return sometime later in March, the final journey will be decided based on weather conditions, NASA said. They will come back using the Dragon spacecraft.
As a precautionary measure, the new astronauts will undergo two weeks of isolation before the launch to prevent any illnesses before meeting the existing crew members. "The Crew-10 mission is targeted to launch at 7:48 p.m. EDT on March 12, aboard a Dragon spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy," NASA said.
Why Is Sunita Williams Stuck In Space?
Williams and Wilmore flew to the ISS on June 5 last year using a Boeing Starliner. However, their week-long mission stretched far longer due to technical issues, including helium leaks with the spacecraft, making it unsafe for return.
During their stay, Williams and Wilmore have been living and working at the ISS, which is roughly the size of a six-bedroom house. It has been assembled with the help of five agencies: NASA, JAXA, Roscosmos, Canadian Space Agency and European Space Agency. It takes about four hours for the spacecraft to reach the ISS after launching from Earth.
SpaceX-NASA Collaboration For Commercial Crew
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is working with NASA as part of its Commercial Crew Program. The initiative is aimed at fostering a partnership between the US space agency and America’s private sector for cost-effective human transportation to space.
