Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after spending 286 days on the International Space Station- Dzire News
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after spending 286 days on the International Space Station- Dzire News
Dzire News New Delhi– Sunita Williams is a true space pioneer. Born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, she’s an American astronaut and retired U.S. Navy officer.¹ Williams has had an incredible career, serving aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight engineer and commander. She’s also a decorated astronaut, holding the record for the most spacewalks performed by a woman (nine) and the second-most time spent on spacewalks by an American astronaut.
Williams’ achievements don’t stop there. She was the first woman to fly on a flight test of an orbital spacecraft, the Boeing Crew Flight Test, in 2024. Unfortunately, technical issues stranded her and her crewmate on the ISS for over nine months. Despite the challenges, Williams continued to break records, becoming one of the top 30 astronauts with the most time spent in space.
Her third mission began in June 2024 on Boeing’s Starliner Crew Flight Test, intended as an eight-day trip. Technical issues, including helium leaks and propulsion problems, extended her stay on the ISS to nearly nine months. She took command of the station in September 2024, handing it over to Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin on March 7, 2025. Williams returned to Earth on March 18, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Dragon with the Crew-9 team, landing off Florida’s coast.
As of January 2025, she had logged 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalk time across nine spacewalks, ranking fourth overall and holding the record for a woman. Her total time in space exceeds 608 days. Williams is married to Michael J. Williams, a federal marshal, and is known for embracing her Indian roots, having taken a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a Ganesha figurine to space. Her resilience and achievements continue to inspire globally.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a heartfelt letter to NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, inviting her to visit India upon her return from the International Space Station (ISS). In the letter, PM Modi expressed his concern for her well-being and praised her inspirational fortitude and perseverance.¹
He mentioned that 1.4 billion Indians take great pride in her achievements and that the people of India are praying for her good health and success in her mission. PM Modi also acknowledged Sunita Williams’ family, saying that her late father Deepakbhai’s blessings are with her and that her mother Bonnie must be keenly awaiting her return.
The letter concluded with PM Modi expressing his eagerness to welcome Sunita Williams back to India, saying “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”.
Awards and Honors
Williams has received numerous awards for her contributions to space exploration, including:
– Defense Superior Service Medal
-Legion of Merit
– Navy Commendation Medal
– Padma Bhushan* from the Government of India
– Golden Order for Merits* from the Government of Slovenia
Personal Life and Indian Connection of Sunita Williams
Williams is married to Michael J. Williams, a federal marshal in Texas, and they have a pet Jack Russell terrier named Gorby. She practices Hinduism and has taken various Hindu symbols and texts to space, including the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads.
Sunita Williams has a strong Indian connection through her father, Deepak Pandya, who was an Indian-American neuroanatomist from Mehsana district in Gujarat, India.¹ Her paternal family is from Jhulasan, a village in Gujarat, India. Williams has proudly celebrated her Indian heritage in space, taking a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a symbol of Om to the International Space Station.
In 2007, Williams visited her ancestral village of Jhulasan and the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She was also awarded the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award by the World Gujarati Society, becoming the first person of Indian descent who was not an Indian citizen to receive the award.
Williams has expressed her desire to adopt a girl from Ahmedabad and has spoken about the importance of her Indian heritage. She has also practiced Hinduism and has taken various Hindu symbols and texts to space.
White House blamed the previous Joe Biden
Hours after Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after spending 286 days on the International Space Station, the White House blamed the previous Joe Biden administration’s lack of urgency for the extended stay of the NASA Crew-9 astronauts that was originally planned for a week. Criticizing the Joe Biden administration, Leavitt said, “Because of the Biden administration’s lack of urgency, they (astronauts) ended up spending nine months in space. Joe Biden’s lack of courage to act boldly and decisively was a big reason why Butch and Sunita did not make it back until yesterday. But President Trump doesn’t waste time. Immediately, after taking office, President Trump directed Elon Musk and SpaceX to rescue these brave astronauts alongside NASA, she said.
The SpaceX capsule of Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday (March 18, 2025) evening, just hours after starting from the International Space Station. Their splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle.
Sanjeev Sharma
Editor in Chief