Sunita Williams set to fly into space for third time as Starliner readies flight to ISS

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is ready to fly into space for the third time on Tuesday (May 7) as the pilot aboard Starliner, as Boeing conducts the spacecraft's maiden human spaceflight.

Boeing’s Starliner will blast off for the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Starliner will carry Williams, 58, and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station, marking what could be a momentous and long-awaited victory for the beleaguered Boeing programme.

The scheduled lift-off is set for 22:34 local time on Monday (8:04  am IST on Tuesday) "We are all here because we are all ready. Our friends and family have heard about it and we've talked about it and they are happy and proud that we are part of the process to fix it all," the BBC quoted Williams as saying. The mission has been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft's development.

If it is successful, it will become the second private firm able to provide crew transport to and from the ISS, alongside Elon Musk's SpaceX. Such a scenario — with both SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Starliner flying regularly — is one for which the US space agency has long waited.

Historic mission

This historic mission is a crucial step in certifying the Starliner system for regular crew rotations to the orbiting laboratory, providing NASA with a second option for transporting astronauts to the ISS alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

“We feel very safe and very comfortable when this spacecraft flies. This is where we're supposed to be,” Williams said during a press conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre.

She said she is a bit nervous but has no fear about flying in a new spacecraft. “When I reach the International Space Station (ISS), it will be like going back home,” she said while training at the launch pad.

The 59-year-old will create history by being the first woman to fly on a maiden mission of a new human-rated spacecraft. A qualified navy test pilot, she has flown twice to space in 2006 and 2012, and according to data from NASA, “Sunita has spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space.”

Waiting in line for a commercial crew flight for nearly a decade, Williams was initially assigned to the program in 2015 due to her extensive experience in spacecraft development. She was later assigned to the CFT mission in 2022.

Brief visit to ISS

During the approximately 10-day mission, Wilmore and Williams will thoroughly 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.

The successful completion of this Crew Flight Test will bring the Starliner one step closer to regularly delivering personnel to and from the ISS, further solidifying the United States' independent access to space.

(With agency inputs)