Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams danced on Thursday as the Boeing Starliner capsule carrying her and her partner Barry “Butch” Wilmore safely docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Williams made history when she became the first woman to pilot a new spacecraft on the first crewed test flight to space. Sunita, 58, was launched on June 5 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a Boeing Starliner along with NASA astronaut Wilmore.
In a video posted by Boeing Space on X, Williams is seen coming out of the capsule. As she comes out, she does a little dance in zero gravity and hugs the other astronauts on the ISS.
This mission, called the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), is a key step in certifying the Starliner for regular crewed flights to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. If successful, it will make the Starliner the second private spacecraft to carry astronauts to and from the orbiting lab, after SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
For Williams, a veteran of two previous space shuttle missions totaling 322 days in orbit, this flight marks another pioneering milestone in her groundbreaking career. She previously held the records for the most spacewalks (seven) and spacewalk time (50 hours, 40 minutes) by a woman during her expeditions on the ISS in 2006-2007 and 2012.
The Starliner capsule will remain docked with the ISS for about 26 hours after liftoff, carrying Williams, Wilmore and more than 500 pounds of cargo for the orbiting outpost.
The two astronauts are scheduled to spend about a week aboard the station to test and validate Starliner’s systems before returning to Earth for a parachute-assisted landing in the western US.
Williams’ achievement is particularly poignant given her Indian-Slovenian heritage. The child of an Indian-American father from Gujarat and a Slovenian-American mother, she has celebrated her multicultural roots by carrying Indian and Slovenian luggage during her previous space flights.
As Williams and Wilmore continue operations on the ISS, their pioneering mission on Starliner is an important step in expanding humanity’s access to space through commercial partnerships.
It also solidifies Williams’ legacy as one of the most successful women in the history of space exploration.
Astronaut Sunita Williams swoons as she arrives at the International Space Station
🔸 Of Indian origin #SunitaWilliams He has traveled to space twice in 2006 and 2012. He has spent a total of 322 days in space during his two missions, which is a record. pic.twitter.com/cxgpMKaZdk
— DD News Gujarati (@DDNewsGujarati) June 7, 2024
