NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams To Visit India Soon: Family Confirms

As Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay in space, her family has confirmed that she will come to India soon.

Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore originally set off on June 5 last year aboard Boeing's Starliner crew capsule, expecting to spend only a week in space. However, technical failures with the spacecraft forced NASA to send Starliner back empty and transfer the astronauts to SpaceX's Crew Dragon, delaying their return until February.

"That moment was surreal," Sunita's cousin, Falguni Pandya, told NDTV. She also confirmed that Williams plans to visit India soon.

"We are also planning a family vacation together, and there will be a lot of family time," Pandya added. When asked about the possibility of Williams venturing into space again-perhaps even becoming the first person to land on Mars-Pandya said, "That will be her choice."

An Unexpectedly Long Space Mission

Williams and Wilmore's brief mission turned into a 286-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS)-a staggering 278 days longer than planned. Their return was further delayed when issues with the SpaceX capsule pushed their departure into March. With the arrival of their replacement crew on Sunday, NASA finally cleared them for the journey home, opting to release them early due to uncertain weather conditions later in the week.

Before leaving, the duo bid farewell to NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, who arrived at the ISS last fall aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that had two empty seats reserved for the returning Starliner astronauts.

By the time Williams and Wilmore splashed down, they had completed 4,576 orbits around Earth and traveled a total of 121 million miles (195 million km).

"On behalf of SpaceX, welcome home," SpaceX Mission Control in California radioed to the crew.

"What a ride," replied Nick Hague, the capsule's commander. "I see a capsule full of grins, ear to ear."

As their spacecraft floated on the ocean, dolphins swam around the capsule while divers prepared it for retrieval. Once aboard the recovery ship, the astronauts were helped out one by one. Williams was the next-to-last to exit, followed by Wilmore, who emerged with two gloved thumbs-up.

Their extended stay in space captured global attention, making "Butch and Suni" household names. While astronauts have spent longer durations in space before, none have faced such unexpected mission extensions and uncertainty.

PM Modi Writes A Letter To Sunita Williams

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, inviting her to visit India.

Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday shared the letter written by the Prime Minister on March 1.

The letter, written on March 1 and sent through former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, was shared on X by Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.

"Even though you are thousands of miles away, you continue to remain close to our hearts. The people of India are praying for your good health and success in your mission," PM Modi said in the letter. "After your return, we are looking forward to seeing you in India. It will be a pleasure for India to host one of its most illustrious daughters," the prime minister said.

He also mentioned about meeting Williams' late father Deepak Pandya during his 2016 visit to the US. "During the course of our conversation, your name came up and we discussed how proud we are of you and your work. Following this interaction, I could not stop myself from writing to you," he said.

The Prime Minister had asked about her wellbeing with US President Donald Trump as well as his predecessor Joe Biden during his visits.

PM Modi has claimed that Indians were proud of her achievements and taken great pride in her accomplishments. "Recent developments have yet again showcased your inspirational fortitude and perseverance."