Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is all set to fly into space for a third time via the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The flight, originally scheduled for May 6, was postponed earlier this month due to a technical snag.
Boeing Starliner launch, carrying Indian-origin Sunita Williams, called off due to rocket glitch
According to the space agency, the flight is scheduled to lift off from Florida's Kennedy Space Centre around 10 pm (Indian Standard Time) (1625 UTC) today.
"Mission managers from NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) continue to evaluate a path forward toward launching the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to the International Space Station. The teams are now working toward a launch opportunity at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, June 1," a statement from NASA said.
An attempt to launch the first crewed test flight for the International Space Station was postponed on May 6 after a technical snag was discovered moments before the take-off.
{{/usCountry}}An attempt to launch the first crewed test flight for the International Space Station was postponed on May 6 after a technical snag was discovered moments before the take-off.
{{/usCountry}}Boeing Starliner's crewed test flight to space with Sunita Willams onboard pushed to June, says NASA
According to NASA, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is designed to take Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the International Space Station as part of a final test before the US space agency can certify the Starliner for routine missions to and from the ISS.
After a week, the crew capsule was planned for descent, assisted by parachutes and airbags, into the southwestern United States.
SpaceX and Boeing developed their respective vehicles under NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme, a partnership with private industry contractors. From the outset, the space agency aimed to have both companies operating at once.
All about Sunita Williams:
Born in Euclid, Ohio, to Indian-American neuroanatomist Deepak Pandya and Slovene-American Ursuline Bonnie (Zalokar) Pandya, Sunita Williams is a veteran of two long-duration spaceflights and has spent a total of 322 days in space. She established a world record for females with four spacewalks totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
She received her commission as an Ensign in the US Navy from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987. Later, she was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions, Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33. She served as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33.
(With inputs from agencies)