Astronaut Sunita Williams to return to space, test Boeing's Starliner

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams is all set to return to space aboard Starliner.

As Boeing is gearing up to hold the spacecraft's maiden human spaceflight, Williams will accompany fellow Nasa astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission.

Sunita Williams and Barry Willmore will launch in the early hours on May 7 as per Indian timings.

The CFT mission is the first crewed flight of the Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS).

The duo will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with liftoff scheduled for 8.04 am IST on Tuesday.

This historic mission provides NASA with a second option for transporting astronauts to the ISS alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon and aims to certify the Starliner system for regular crew rotations to the orbiting laboratory.

During a press conference at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center, Williams said, "We feel very safe and very comfortable when this spacecraft flies. This is where we're supposed to be.”

Williams was assigned to the CFT mission in 2022.

The mission is approximately 10-days long where Wilmore and Williams will test the Starliner's systems and capabilities, paving the way for the spacecraft to begin operational crew flights to the space station. They will also conduct a brief visit to the ISS, where they will join the Expedition 71 crew and Nasa Crew 8.

"This is a major milestone for the Commercial Crew Program and for Nasa, as we work to restore America's human spaceflight capabilities," said Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson.