Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, two NASA astronauts, arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5 aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. They are expected to remain on the ISS until February 2025, when SpaceX is scheduled to bring them back to Earth.
Originally, both astronauts were supposed to return to Earth in the Starliner spacecraft within 8-10 days. However, their departure was delayed due to helium leaks and thruster issues, which left them stuck on the ISS.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced that while the Starliner will return without a crew, Williams and Wilmore will come back to Earth in February aboard a SpaceX capsule. Nelson emphasized that “space flight is risky even at its safest and most routine.”
When asked about the decision to keep the astronauts on the ISS, Nelson explained that returning the Starliner without Williams and Wilmore “is the result of our commitment to safety,” stating, “our core value is safety.”
As Williams and Wilmore prepare for an extended stay, Williams’ family has shared their thoughts on her delayed return to Earth. Her husband, Michael J. Williams, and her mother, Bonnie Pandya, seem unconcerned about her situation in space.
“That’s her happy place,” Michael said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in August 2024. Similarly, Bonnie Pandya expressed that she isn’t worried about the extended duration, noting that both astronauts are diligently working on the ISS.
In an interview with NewsNation’s Andrew Cuomo on CUOMO, Pandya described her daughter as a “seasoned astronaut.” “I don’t give her any advice. She knows what to do. She is a seasoned astronaut. She’s been up for over 400 days in space,” Pandya proudly shared.
Pandya, who spoke with her daughter two days ago, mentioned that Sunita reassured her, saying, “don’t worry about me,” and that “everything’s going to be fine.”
