- By Nidhi Giri
- Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:01 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Indian origin Astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are likely to leave the International Space Station (ISS) by March 19 at the earliest, said NASA, as quoted by news agency ANI. The American Space Agency said that NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 now is targeting no earlier than 7: 03 PM on March 14 as the window for launch of the Transporter-13 mission. The duo, who had reached the ISS for an eight-day stay, have been stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing’s faulty Starliner.
The mission will launch four crew members to the International Space Station. Mission managers had earlier decided to wave off a launch attempt on Thursday, due to high winds and precipitation forecasted in the flight path of Dragon. Launch teams also are working to address a hydraulic system issue with a ground support clamp arm for the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
With a March 14 Crew-10 launch, the Crew-9 mission with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, would depart the space station no earlier than Wednesday, March 19, pending weather at the splashdown locations off the coast of Florida.
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will remain in Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA Kennedy in Florida.
Despite the challenges, Sunita Williams has remained resilient, embracing the experience as an opportunity for growth. "Being up here has been an incredible journey," she said. "The teamwork, the camaraderie, and the mission itself make every challenge worth it."
(With Agency Inputs)