Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, initially scheduled for an eight-day mission, are now facing an eight-month stay on the International Space Station due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner. Despite the setback, the astronauts remain positive, embracing their extended time in space and even preparing to vote in the upcoming US presidential election from the ISS.
Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Indian descent who is currently stationed on the International Space Station (ISS), declared today that it is her "happy place" and that she "loves" spending time there. On June 5, Williams and her fellow NASA employee Butch Wilmore departed on the Boeing Starliner for what was initially intended to be an eight-day crewed mission. However, because the Starliner had many technical difficulties and returned to Earth without them last week, their stay has been extended to eight months.
Sunita Williams commented, "That's how things go in this business," at a news conference that was conducted by video. Given that both astronauts had spent time on the station before, Williams claimed that the adjustment to station life was "not that hard". The seasoned space traveler declared, "I love being up here in space."
LIVE: From the , astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams discuss their ongoing mission and answer questions from the media: https://t.co/ytifGf22Gn
— NASA (@NASA)"We wanted to take Starliner to the completion and land back on land at home, but you know, you have to turn the page and look at the next opportunity," she said.
The two astronauts expressed excitement about voting from the International Space Station in the US presidential election in 2024. According to Butch Willmore, he submitted his ballot request today. "It is a very important role that we all play as American citizens," he stated. "NASA makes it very easy for us to do that."
Additionally, Sunita Williams stated that it is a "very important duty". "Looking forward to vote from space, which is pretty cool," she stated.
The US elections - a fight between Democrat Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump - will be held on November 5.
Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return in February with the Crew-9 flight of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Following years of delays, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, were ultimately launched to the International Space Station on June 5 aboard Boeing's Starliner. But a day later, when Starliner got closer to the International Space Station, NASA and Boeing discovered helium leaks and had problems with the spacecraft's reaction control thrusters.