NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Takes Command of International Space Station

Astronaut Sunita Williams of the US space agency NASA has officially taken command of the International Space Station (ISS). This is the second time Williams has taken command of the ISS. Earlier, she had also led a mission in 2012. In June, Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore reached the ISS via Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a mission of just eight days.

However, due to technical problems in the Starliner, the return of Williams and Wilmore has been postponed until February next year. Russian astronaut Oleg Kononenko has handed over the command of the ISS to Williams. Kononenko is scheduled to return to Earth soon. As the commander of the ISS, Williams will oversee various types of work and research.

Recently, Williams shared his thoughts on the delay in returning to Earth in a video press conference. He described the ISS as a ‘happy place’. Williams said that due to his previous experience, adjustment to life in space is not difficult. Regarding this, Wilmore said that there was no agreement on his return on Starliner. His stay has been extended due to some technical problems not being resolved. Wilmore had said that in view of the security concerns with Starliner, his current situation is for the better.

Williams admitted that there is some tension due to the extension of her stay on the ISS but she is focusing on the mission. Both these astronauts also expressed their desire to cast their vote from space in the upcoming US presidential election. There is a contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in this election. The Starliner spacecraft was facing difficulties in reaching the ISS. Leak of helium from the spacecraft was also a problem. For this reason NASA And Boeing had decided to bring it to Earth without astronauts. Last month, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had said that these challenges faced by NASA would be important lessons for the country’s Gaganyaan mission. ISRO chief, S Somanath had said that this situation is an important lesson for the Gaganyaan mission. The first test flight of this human-rated rocket may take place later this year.