In a much-anticipated event, Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore will address Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, September 13, NASA announced. “The pair will participate in a news conference aboard the International Space Station in low Earth orbit,” said the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Williams and Wilmore launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed mission, arriving at the ISS the next day. However, NASA later opted to return Starliner to Earth uncrewed due to technical concerns. The spacecraft safely landed at White Sands Space Harbor, New Mexico, on September 6, after more than three months in space. Before its return, Williams radioed mission control, saying, “It’s time to bring Calypso home,” referring to the Starliner’s nickname.
The astronauts will remain aboard the ISS as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew and are expected to return to Earth in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, along with two other members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
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NASA said the event will stream on NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. It is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EDT (11:45 p.m. Indian Standard Time) on September 13 and will be broadcast from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
In related news, the crew of Polaris Dawn, a privately funded mission led by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, made history by completing the first commercial spacewalk. Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, donning newly designed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, exited their spacecraft while travelling at 17,500 mph in an elliptical orbit 190 x 700 km above Earth.
This spacewalk marked a major milestone for the Polaris Program, which aims to advance human spaceflight. Supported by Pilot Scott Poteet and Medical Officer Anna Menon, Isaacman and Gillis performed tests on the suits’ mobility and thermal systems before safely re-entering the Dragon capsule. Reflecting on the mission, Isaacman said, “From here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.”
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the crew on X (formerly Twitter), calling the achievement “a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry.” SpaceX has yet to announce details about Polaris Dawn’s upcoming landing, initially planned for splashdown off the coast of Florida.
(With media inputs)
