In letter to Sunita Williams, PM Modi says “1.4 billion Indians praying for your good health and success”
Calling Williams one of the most illustrious daughters of India, Modi also invited her to the country.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are on their way back to Earth after spending an unexpected nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
A SpaceX Dragon capsule undocked from the ISS at around 10:35 AM IST on Tuesday and is expected to splash down on Earth at approximately 3:27 AM IST on March 19.
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Along with Williams and Wilmore, the SpaceX Dragon capsule is also carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who completed their six-month stay at the ISS.
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Williams and Wilmore arrived at the ISS in June last year as part of an experimental spacecraft mission. Initially, they were scheduled to stay for just eight days. However, technical glitches in their spacecraft left them stranded in space for over nine months.
Typically, astronauts stay on the ISS for about six months, as prolonged exposure to microgravity takes a toll on their health. However, with no spacecraft ready to bring them back, their short mission turned into an extended nine-month stay.
Last Friday, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission was aimed at bringing Williams and Wilmore home.
The Crew-10 mission also carried NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The spacecraft successfully reached the ISS on Sunday, paving the way for the long-awaited return of Williams and Wilmore.
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