Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is all set for the third time to launch into space from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida today (June 1) after a failed attempt on May 7. The Boeing Starliner will be launching Williams on their first crewed spacecraft to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
According to NASA, the spacecraft will lift off at 10 PM IST from Kennedy Space Centre alongwith pilot Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore. Following this mission, NASA will focus on completing the final certification of the transportation system for rotational missions to the orbiting laboratory as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
Williams to make history again
Williams, an iconic figure for women aspiring to travel into space, will embark on her third space mission and could make history as the first woman to fly on the maiden crewed mission of a new space shuttle.
She has spent 322 days in space and previously held the record for the most hours spent on spacewalks by a woman, a title later surpassed by Peggy Whitson.
Her first space voyage began on December 9, 2006, and lasted until June 22, 2007. During this mission, she set the record by completing four spacewalks totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
Starliner 10-day mission
The nearly 10-day mission will demonstrate the Starliner’s space-worthiness and validate the team’s readiness to secure NASA certification for long-duration missions.
Regarding the previous launch cancellation, NASA stated, “Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and NASA scrubbed the launch opportunity on May 7 due to a suspected oxygen relief valve on the Atlas V rocket’s Centaur second stage. Since then, teams have removed and replaced the valve and completed an assessment of the Starliner’s performance and redundancy after discovering a small helium leak in the spacecraft’s service module.”