17 March 2025
Sunita Williams who is famous astronaut has spent a lot of time in space. After spending 9 months abroad at International Space Station (ISS) she is finally coming back to Earth. This trip was longer than expected. She went to space for some important work but somehow things didn’t go as planned. Her return is a big event for NASA as well as space lovers.
How the Mission Started?
Sunita Williams with two other astronauts had went to space as a part of mission. It was expected to stay in space for about six months. Unfortunately, something went wrong with spacecraft which was supposed to bring the crew back. The name of the Spacecraft was Boeing Starliner. Due to some problems with its engine it wasn’t able to return the astronaut to Earth safely.
Due to these problems, Sunita and the other astronauts had to stay in space for longer time than expected. Therefore they had to spend more time floating in the space and work on the ISS. But they didn’t leave any shortcomings in their work. They worked hard and stayed safe.
Working With SpaceX to Get Back
As the Starliner spacecraft wasn’t ready, NASA thought of working with another company called SpaceX. They collaborated to bring Sunita Williams and other astronauts back. SpaceX has a spacecraft called the Dragon capsule. Dragon Capsule carry’s astronauts to and from the ISS.
A new crew of Astronauts will arrive the ISS in the Dragon Capsule. They came to help and take over some of the work of Sunita and her crew. It means that Sunita and her team can finally get ready to come back home.
Sunita Williams Return to Earth
Sunita and her crew are now getting ready for their return to Earth. They will leave the ISS on March 18, 2025. The spacecraft will slowly move away from the station. Then the astronauts will finally start a process called a ” deorbit burn”, where the spacecraft fires its engines to slow down. It will help the spacecraft return to Earth.
After that, the spacecraft will land in the Pacific Ocean at 5.57 pm Tuesday. There, the teams will be waiting to help bring them back safely. You can watch this entire exciting process live on free streaming platform and news channel at 10:45 PM on Monday (8.15 AM on Tuesday), beginning on Monday and proper closure on Tuesday.
What We Can Learn From Her Mission
Even though Sunita’s mission was longer than expected, it had made severe contribution in future space missions. More the time astronaut will live and survive in space easier it will be to explore the Moon, Mars and beyond. NASA and other space companies are planning big missions to places like the Moon and Mars in the future.
Sunita’s experience in space will help astronauts learn to stay in space for longer periods. It will be useful for further space missions. During this long journey of her time on ISS has helped scientists and engineers learn how to take care of astronauts.
Why Sunita Williams is So Special
You might be wondering why Sunita Williams is very special, its because of her amazing contribution in Space. Sunita Williams record includes being the most spacewalks by a female astronaut. You might be wondering what is spacewalks? Spacewalk are when astronauts go outside their spacecraft and float in space to fix things or do experiments. Sunita as a true Indian had contributed a lot in Space.
She was born in Ohio, in the US, but her parents were from India. She had been in space three times thus she had spent a lot of time on the ISS. Sunita’s hard work and bravery had inspired a lot of women around the world. She is a role model to many young girls.
Looking Ahead
Sunita Williams is an inspiration to many people. She showed us that even if things don’t go as planned , we can still work hard, stay safe and achieve our goals. Her return to Earth will be a great milestone for space and space lovers. It will help us remind space exploration is full of challenges and possibilities.
When Sunita gets back to Earth, she will have stories about her journey. Her hardwork and courage will inspire the next generation of Astronauts. Maybe there will be a girl sitting at a corner, dreaming to be like her while looking at her toy Rocket.
