Sunita Williams First Reaction On Seeing Crew 10 Member Entering ISS

Sunita Williams, donned in a blue polo shirt and beige cargo pants, grooved with excitement as the hatch opened and Crew-10 astronauts stepped into the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. Williams, who has been stranded at the ISS for over nine months due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, expressed her joy at seeing new faces.

“It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” Williams told Mission Control. 

New Crew Joins the Space Station 

The four new astronauts, representing the United States, Japan, and Russia, arrived aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. As the hatch opened, the first astronaut stepped in, followed by their crewmates in a ceremonial order, with their commander entering last. 

NASA astronaut Anne C. McClain described the moment of arrival as unforgettable. 

"I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out of the window and saw the space station for the first time," said McClain, a US Army colonel. 

"You can hardly put it into words. The ride up the Falcon 9, orbiting the Earth for the last couple of days, has been absolutely incredible. It is something none of us could do by ourselves. You cannot be great without the greatness of others," she added. 

Williams and Wilmore to Return Home

For the next few days, Williams and her co-astronaut Butch Wilmore will train the newcomers on ISS operations before finally boarding their own SpaceX capsule for their long-awaited return to Earth. Their departure is scheduled no earlier than Wednesday, with a landing planned off Florida’s east coast. 

The two astronauts originally launched in June last year and were expected to return the same month. However, their Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered multiple technical glitches, forcing them to stay at the ISS for an additional nine months. 

Williams Reflects on Time in Space

Over the past two weeks, Williams has been preparing for her return while continuing her work on the space station. In a press conference on March 4, she shared her excitement about going home but also reflected on what she would miss. 

"Everything," Williams said with a smile when asked what she would miss the most. 

"This has been Butch’s and my third flight to the ISS. We helped put it together, we have been up here watching it change. Just living here gives us a unique perspective—not just outside the window, obviously—but on how to solve problems. I don't want to lose that spark of inspiration and perspective when I leave, so I am going to have to bottle it up somehow," she said.