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Indian-origin Sunita Williams is set to embark on her third trip to space on Saturday. Williams will fly Boeing’s Starliner to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) in space with the first manned spacecraft to fly into space. This mission was postponed a few days ago due to a technical fault. Another NASA astronaut will also accompany her on the test flight.
When will Sunita Williams’ third space flight begin?
According to NASA, Sunita Williams’ flight to the ISS is scheduled to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida today at 10 pm Indian Standard Time. Williams will be accompanied by NASA astronaut Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore in the test flight mission. According to the US space agency’s commercial crew program, the two will become the first humans to fly on the Starliner spacecraft.
About Sunita Williams
Sunita Williams is the former record holder for the most spacewalks by a woman. She is also a United States Navy officer and was part of Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. While serving as an officer in the Navy, she was later recruited by NASA. She has also received the Padma Bhushan award for her achievements.
Williams completed her tour of duty by returning to Earth aboard the STS-117 flight of the shuttle Atlantis, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on June 22, 2007. Her career as an astronaut began when she was selected by the US space agency in June 1998.
About Starliner’s first crew launch flight
The first crewed launch flight will begin after the spacecraft is launched into space on an Atlas 5 rocket from rocket company United Launch Alliance (ULA). The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the ISS on Sunday, after which the astronauts will stay at the space station for about a week. During their stay, they will perform several tests related to the spacecraft.
According to NASA, if the launch goes as planned, the Starliner spacecraft will land on June 10. Starliner will begin its return flight from the ISS and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. It will then land in the southwestern United States on June 10 with the help of parachutes and airbags.
What’s at stake for Boeing in Sunita Williams’ space mission?
The success of this flight test mission will pave the way for Boeing to supply its spacecraft, the Starliner, and its systems for crew rotation missions to the ISS. If the mission is successful, NASA will begin using the Starliner capsule to send up to four astronauts, or a mix of crew and cargo, to low Earth orbit for its missions.
NASA, Boeing and ULA (United Launch Alliance) are ready for the June 1 launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, as announced during a pre-launch media briefing from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“I’m so proud of the teams who have worked so hard over the last two and a half weeks to prepare for launch,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager. “We are really ready to fly.”
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Published: June 01, 2024, 02:29 PM IST
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