Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is all set for her third space voyage as she joins NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled to take off on May 6.
Williams is slated to journey aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, propelled by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex-41 in Florida. Their destination: the orbiting laboratory, where they will reside for approximately a week.
The upcoming mission forms a crucial component of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, marking the maiden crewed flight for the Starliner spacecraft.
Its objectives encompass comprehensive testing of the spacecraft’s functionalities, encompassing launch, docking manoeuvres, and safe return to Earth in the western United States.
Following a successful crewed flight test, NASA will proceed with certifying Starliner and associated systems for future crewed missions to the space station.
During Expedition 14/15, spanning from December 2006 to June 2007, Williams served as the flight engineer. Notably, she established a world record for female astronauts by conducting four spacewalks, accumulating a total of 29 hours and 17 minutes outside the ISS.
Williams also participated in Expedition 32/33, assuming the roles of flight engineer and ISS commander. This mission, launched in July 2012, involved a four-month tenure aboard the ISS, during which Williams and her crewmate Akihiko Hoshide from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) undertook three spacewalks to perform critical maintenance tasks.
In total, Williams has spent a remarkable 322 days in space across her two missions. Her cumulative spacewalk time of 50 hours and 40 minutes once held the record for female astronauts, subsequently surpassed by Astronaut Peggy Whitson.
As Williams prepares for her upcoming mission to the ISS, anticipation mounts within the scientific community for the invaluable contributions she and her fellow astronauts will make towards advancing human space exploration.
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