'Space Was Her Happy Place': Sunita Williams' Husband on Astronaut-Wife Being 'Stranded'

Washington: Michael J, the husband of Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams has reacted to his wife being ‘stranded’ in space.

Williams' husband has said that ‘space was her happy place’.

Sunita Williams' Husband on His Wife Being ‘Stranded’ in Space

Sunita Williams' husband, Michael J has reacted to his astronaut-wife being stranded in space.

While speaking to an international media house, Michael J said, “Space was her happy place, even if she had to be there indefinitely.”

When Will Sunita Williams Come Back to Earth?

NASA astronauts – Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams – who travelled to the International Space Station on Boeing Starliner may return back to return in February 2025 but in a different space craft and it's unlikely it would be Starliner, the US space agency informed on Thursday.

Now the two astronauts could return on SpaceX's Crew Dragon in February 2025 if Starliner is still deemed unsafe to return to Earth.

The U.S. space agency has been discussing potential plans with SpaceX to leave two seats empty on an upcoming Crew Dragon launch for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who became the first crew to fly Boeing's Starliner capsule.

Why Is Sunita Williams ‘Stranded’ in Space for 2 Months?

This is Boeing's first time launching astronauts, after flying a pair of empty Starliners that suffered software and other issues. Even before Wilmore and Williams blasted off June 5, their capsule sprang a leak in propulsion-related plumbing. Boeing and NASA judged the small helium leak to be stable and isolated, and proceeded with the test flight. 

But as Starliner approached the space station the next day, four more leaks erupted. Five thrusters also failed.

The capsule managed to dock safely, and four of the thrusters ultimately worked. But engineers scrambled, conducting thruster test-firings on the ground and in space.

After two months, there's still no root cause for the thruster malfunctions. All but one of the 28 thrusters seem OK, but the fear is that if too many conk out again, the crew's safety could be jeopardized.

(Inputs from AP)